Mannat and musings by the sea

New window shutters were made from Burma teak wood and a small drop mould was added to protect it. The coloured embossed glass of the multi-foil arches were replaced with coloured leaded lights as its stronger to withstand wind pressures. The colours of t

Life has come a full circle for Haroun Yusuf, trustee of the recently restored Ma Hajiani dargah in Worli. With Jahaz Mahal, their home next door, Yusuf spent his life under the gaze of this magnificent mausoleum that sits on a natural rocky outcrop, built by his ancestor Ismail Hasham Yusuf in 1908. Observing its gradual ruin over the decades, Yusuf promised himself that he would give it a fresh lease of life when the opportunity arose.

The dargah symbolises the family-s centuries-old connect with the city and the sea, standing at the opposite end of and facing its more famous counterpart, Haji Ali. Ma Hajiani was reopened to the public on the eve of Shab-e-barat last week, blushing in the hues of the setting sun like a curious bride.

The landmark has a mix of Indo Saracenic elements but with a lot of colonial details like double pilaster, floral ornamental bands and composite capitals, coats of arms in its exterior and interior façades. Other elements include the presence of multifoil arches and parapet decorations as well as chajjas with brackets

"Over the years, band-aid repairs had taken a toll on the structure. Cement patchwork was used to repair damaged Porbander stone, and layers of paint now coated its facades. Vegetation had sprouted in several sections. I was keen to restore it," he says over the phone on a busy workday from Nhava island, where his family runs TS Rahaman, Asia-s oldest merchant navy training school.

The training facility built in 1910 was Ismail Yusuf-s way of paying back to the seafaring community that had served on the ships of his firm, Bombay Steam Navigation Company. "The purpose was also to encourage the orphans and sons of the seafaring community, irrespective of cast, creed or religion to follow in the footsteps of their forefathers. With the demise of Haji Ismail in 1912, it fell upon his son Sir Mohamed Yusuf to pursue the dreams of his father. He shifted the school to Nhava, the island off the Bombay Harbour purchased by the family in 1883. In 1914, the then Government of Bombay permitted Sir Mohamed Yusuf to establish a Marine School in Nhava," reads a line from TS Rahaman-s website.

The walls were strengthened using wood. The traditional lime plaster area was re-plastered in lime; the details were restored using lime surkhi mortar, including the pointing and removal of vegetation growth

"We have been pioneers of shipping along the Konkan coast since the 1860s. My family acquired this property back in the 1890s, and it-s possible that the shrine may have already been there. My great great great grandfather built the basic structure of the mausoleum in 1908," Yusuf reveals about the past of the illustrious Kutchi Memon family from Gujarat, which ended up adding a marine museum, the Fatima Banu Hospital and the Lady Khatun Marium School to Nhava.

Legend has it that Ma Hajiani was the sister of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, the saint venerated at Haji Ali dargah. Both died at sea and their bodies were washed ashore a few metres away from each other, and buried at the exact spots where they were found. Two tombs were built across from each other.

The only striking colours are the red and green of the bangles that lie strewn across the decorated chadar of Ma Hajiani-s maqbara, representing the mannat women have taken for a good husband, and healthy children

The Ma Hajiani dargah is also home to the graves of Ismail Yusuf and his son, Sir Mohamed Yusuf. And so, Yusuf is clear that the site was and will always remain a mausoleum. When we observe the absence of obvious Quranic inscriptions from our visit to the dargah a day prior, he says, "They [the inscriptions] were never there, so why add them now? It is not a religious place of worship, but a haven for all faiths, and particularly for women. It-s a shrine that speaks of splendid architectural influences, and that-s how I wish that it remains. In fact, that was my only brief to Vikas - to ensure that what its original architect, who sadly remains unknown, had envisioned, is respected, including original materials. And he-s done a fine job to keep it that way."

Yusuf is speaking of Mumbai-s noted conservation architect Vikas Dilawari, who with a core team of artisans, has worked over the last two years on the Grade IIA heritage structure. Yusuf says, "My family is elated that all the hard work has paid off. Personally, I am glad I could realise a thought that was always at the back of my mind."

Haroun Yusuf walks on the verandah roof of Ma Hajiani dargah. The oblong dome in the background is unique in construction and covered in China mosaic

A day earlier, when we had stepped into the restored site with Dilawari, despite an unforgiving April sun at high noon, a stiff, cool breeze offered immediate respite to burning soles that tiptoed across the tiled courtyard flanked by verandahs for resting.

He pointed out the interesting cross-play of architectural styles - colonial shields, Indo-Saracenic motifs and Islamic influences coupled with black, and Porbander stone for its walls and facades. We noticed the stunning but delicate colour palate of mild green and blue on the stained glass windows. Pineapples and other floral motifs dotted the many corners and squinches stood like sturdy sentinels holding the oblong dome above us. "The dome was repaired internally and externally about half a century ago. This time, we rendered the external finish in blue China mosaic tiles to make it waterproof, for ease of maintenance, and also to reflect the family-s ties with shipping," Dilawari said.

Conservation architect Vikas Dilawari. He speaks of the typology of the site that is unique to locate because of its perfect-to-scale courtyard. Entry is through a formal entrance portal with varying floor heights. It is surrounded by two identical verandahs on either side with windows overlooking the seaward and landward sides. The flooring was retained; an Italian marble dado was added to replace the old one. The internal paint on limestone was removed with a steam machine that was a long process. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

The only striking colours are the red and green of the glass bangles that lie strewn across the decorated chadar of Ma Hajiani-s maqbara, representing the mannat women have taken for a good husband, and healthy children.

Speaking of the respect for the original that is mandatory for any heritage restoration to succeed, Dilawari says it was the open-minded approach and willingness to accept other views by Yusuf that made his job easy. "Buildings by the sea bear a harsher brunt of the elements. By sticking to original materials used, we were able to retain the mausoleum-s understated grandeur." Dilawari worked with stone artisans from Palitana in Gujarat to re-create missing details.

The dargah-s caretaker Zaheer bhai against the lit up structure on Shab-e-barat. Pic/Suresh KK

Yusuf hopes the seat of silence finds a renewed following, but never intends for it to become a chaotic tourist spot. "I wish more women visit. Its [dargah] doors were always open to them because of the faith they had in Ma Hajiani. But I am equally delighted that in a city that has scarcely any place to sit and reflect a moment, this dargah offers it and more. Even I hadn-t realised its beauty and unique identity in all its glory until after the restoration. I hope Bombay and the rest of the world will look at it with new eyes."

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