Mumbai: Bandra Fair is back this year!

Devotees at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount. Pic/Sameer Markande

The Bandra fair will be held after a break of two years from September 11 to September 18. The annual event kicks off on the first Sunday after the nativity of Mary, which is celebrated at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount in Bandra on September 8. In 2020, the fair was not held for the first time in over a century due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bishop John Rodrigues, the rector of Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, said that the organisers had spoken to the assistant municipal commissioner and other authorities concerned regarding their desire to hold the fest as the government had lifted restrictions on religious gatherings. "The assistant commissioner, his team and the corporator visited the area to look at our arrangements and said we could go ahead," he said.

The preparations for the fair are in full swing on the church premises. "The police also contacted us and we had discussions with them and briefed them about queues, entry and exit points," said Bishop Rodrigues. The organisers will have more such meetings with municipal bodies, police authorities, the fire brigade and BEST.

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"We have such meetings every year but this time, they will be very detailed as we have not held the fair for two years," the rector said. Every year, special bus services are operated for devotees but the number of buses to be allotted for them yet has not been finalised. "The festival is held to celebrate the birth of Mother Mary and includes the novena, nine days of prayers that will be held from September 2 to 10. This year people are eagerly awaiting the fair," said Fr Rodrigues.

"From June they have been enquiring if services are being held and if they'll be allowed to come. Now things are moving forward. We will have to abide by the guidelines given by the government and civic authorities," he added. Prior to Covid, 150 stalls of varying sizes were generally given to people in the area to run but now the organisers are attempting to hand them over to people who are in need. And while the approximate footfall at the fair used to be around 50,000, the figure would touch a lakh on weekends. This year, however, the bishop feels that the number might be even larger.

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"The theme for this year is the different roles of Mother Mary - as a mother, queen, friend, a disciple and the titles she has and the way we honour her and the way she praises God through these roles and how we can do the same in our own lives," he said. In light of the steady rise in cases of Covid-19, monkeypox, swine flu and tomato flu, the organizers will put up notices and video screens to spread messages regarding health concerns and Covid guidelines.

"We will encourage people to follow the guidelines," said the bishop. However, since masking is not mandatory, all the authorities can do is encourage people to do so and be safe. Mass will be celebrated every hour from 5.30 am till 12.30 pm every day. Services will also be held in one language apart from English such as Marathi, Tamil, Hindi, Konkani, Gujarati and Malayalam every day.

There will also be a daily online service. During the meetings, the Advanced Locality Management (ALM), a residents' association, also puts forth its suggestions. "The police will issue car passes to the residents because road access is restricted," said the bishop. Maria D'Souza, chairperson of the ALM, stated that the BMC and the police have been getting better at organising the fair over the years. "Traffic and people's movement are well organised and candle stalls are set up on one side. But what they do not organise is the unauthorised and illegal hawkers who squat on the roads and make a mess," she added. The bishop said that the authorities will be meeting later this week to discuss matters.

50k
The footfall the fair typically sees on weekdays