MUMBAI SUBURBAN

The region of Mulund West is known for its cosmopolitan nature and its diverse array of celebrations and processions. Among its notable festivities, the Dussehra celebrations in Hanuman Pada stand out, drawing visitors from as far as Kalyan and Kanjurmarg. Dussehra here is celebrated by burning effigies of not only Ravana but also Kumbhakarna and Meghanada during the Ravan Dahan. A dedicated Dussehra Committee manages these annual processions, where people dress up as Bhagwaan Hanuman, Ram, Sita. Additionally, the celebrations are accompanied by a vibrant mela.

The tradition of Ravan Dahan in Hanuman Pada dates back about 60 years and was initiated by the same individual, a Partition refugee, who everyone fondly remembers as ‘dada’ who played a key role in establishing the local Hanuman temple located near the ground used for Dussehra.

Mulund is especially known for its Mahashivratri celebrations at the Balrajeshwar Mandir, an overnight celebration where every year, artisans meticulously sculpt a 21 feet tall artificial ice Shiv Lingam within the Shiv Mandir, which has stood for over a century in the locality. This unique way of celebration is an attempt at recreating the ice Shiv Lingam which forms naturally in the Amarnath Cave during the months of July and August.

A Jaagran usually occurs during the festival at the mandir, where the mandir is open and crowded all night for the followers to have a darshan with the sculpted shivling.

While functions for dandiya and garba always took place in the suburbs, Pathak and her band Ta-thaiya catapulted the nine consecutive nights of revelry into something more by transforming Goregaon's Sankalp dandiya into Mumbai's most sought-after Navratri ticket. People from all over the region started flocking to Goregaon to be a part of the utsav where she would sing—her band would play instruments, they all would dance, and some would win prizes for their dress-up and group dances. Slowly, live-streaming of the event became a part and parcel of family get-togethers at home during the utsav. 

Since the Goregaon days, this utsav has shifted from Ghatkopar and now is held in Borivali. The tickets are expensive, yet a crowd of more than 20000 visit each day of the nine-day festival to dance to Pathak’s tunes. While before, overnight celebrations often happened, today the event is 2-3 hours long, taking place during late evenings.

On the margins of a city surrounded by sea, wadas inhabited by Kolis, a fishing community have survived through centuries. Localities in the suburbs such as Aksa, Versova, and Madh lying near the Malad/Marve Creek alongside Khar Danda and Bhandup are home to these fisherfolk who rely on the sea for their sustenance and livelihood. And every year, on the month that marks the end of monsoon, in these neighborhoods, Narali Poornima is celebrated vibrantly.

The festival, Narali Poornima finds its roots in the cyclical rhythm of the fishing practices of the Kolis, marking the beginning of a new fishing season as the monsoon months of June and July draw to a close. Crowds fill up the coastline as the community gathers to honor the sea that sustains their way of life. Coconut is offered to the sea, usually wrapped in a golden cloth, stemming from the belief that it will calm the sea’s tides. The ritual is also a way in which they seek aashirwad for protection as well as a  safe and bountiful fishing season ahead. The festival usually takes place on the day of Raksha Bandhan. Food specific to the festival such as naryalwada, coconut karanji, puran poli along with plenty of other seafood dishes are consumed during the festival.

Founded in 2006, the festival serves as a platform for Kolis to connect with the people of Mumbai, sharing their music, dance, and culinary heritage. Despite being one of Mumbai's oldest communities, the Kolis have often been overlooked in historical narratives and policy making, resulting in much loss of their rich history and culture. These food festivals are organized with the intention of preserving cultural identity and offer a glimpse into their way of life to seafood enthusiasts. With over 100 Koli men and women participating each year, the festival attracts thousands of visitors eager to savor the culinary delights and traditions that have endured for generations. Adorned in traditional attire and jewelry, the Kolis proudly share their heritage with the world, celebrating the bond between their community and the sea that sustains them.

The Sindhi festival, Cheti Chand, is celebrated as the Sindhi New Year. During this festival, a Jatra takes place, where the followers walk miles towards a waterbody with their Beherana/Bhairana (platters) to perform a unique custom which involves feeding chawal (rice) and wheat balls to fishes after a big pooja. This is because, just as the mouse is inseparable from Lord Ganpati, the fish holds a sacred place in the worship of their saint, Jhulelal.

The festival doesn’t have a fixed date, it is celebrated as soon as tithi (lunar day) comes or when the "second date of Chaitra Shukla Paksha" comes.

The Jatra is coherently organized by the Sindhi Sabhas/boards, where the procession takes place till the decided river body where they feed the fishes. The Jatra organized from Mulund Colony starts at Colony’s Jhulelal Mandir and ends at Thane’s Talao Pali. In Mulund Colony, Sindhi Panchayat usually organizes this program alongside the mela. The festive procession is inevitably linked to the legends and spatial geography of the land and river (Indus) from where the Sindhi’s find their root.

Cheti Chand Jo Melo is also a program organized by the Sindhi Sabhas that happens usually in the month of April. The program is organized near the date of the new year. This event features performances by local artists, including singing, dancing, and plays.

The festival is fully Sindhi language coded, in the sense that all performances are performed in Sindhi language itself. Later, awards are given to committee members of the sabhas that organize the event for their year-end efforts. As the title itself mentions the word, “melo”, the event is not not accompanied by a mela/fair, with stalls selling food items, handicrafts, and more.

Another significant Sindhi festival is Saatam/Thadri, celebrated during the rainy season in honor of Goddess Shitala Devi, who is believed to have the power to give and cure poxes and diseases. The festival originates from a story within the Sindhi and Gujarati communities about a woman whose child suffered from chickenpox. After praying to Shitala Devi, the child was cured. Following this miracle, many women began to worship the devi, seeking her aashirwad for the health and well-being of their loved ones, particularly their children.

Special dishes/sweets like Lola, made from wheat, dry fruits, sugar, and ghee, are prepared and offered to the devi. As part of the rituals, the followers do not switch on the gas for a whole day and eat cold food for that whole day. The offering is prepared a day in advance and brought to the temple on the day for the devi. The food offered by people is then exchanged and distributed as prasad by the pujari, a tradition upheld for years at Mulund Colony’s Jhulelal Mandir.

The Sikh community celebrates the birth of Guru Nanak Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji by participating in an early-morning Joulouz/Jatra called “Prabhat-Pheri '' around ten to eleven days before their birth date. During this event, they travel from streets to houses, singing kirtans and shabads in honor of Waheguru.

In Mulund Colony’s Sri Guru Nanak Darbar (Regd.) Mulund Colony, the Prabhat-Pheri typically takes place from 5 am to 7 am, with more people joining in as it progresses through different areas. The procession stops at least 2 homes of bhakts who invite the sangat (congregation) to seek aashirwad together. During this part of the procession, everyone together recites the ardaas (prayer). The event usually concludes at the gurudwara, where readings from the Guru Granth Sahib are held, and kada prasad is distributed to all participants, or a langar is served. Kirtans are usually held in the evening during this period. This tradition has been ongoing in the area for over 50 years.

Melas are usually located near a landmark, as seen in the case of the yearly mela that occurs near Bandra’s Mount Mary Church, known as the Mount Mary Fair. This September event is held to commemorate the birth of Mother Mary and has a rich history. Some believe it dates back nearly 300 years, originating from the story of a Koli fisherman who discovered a statue of St. Mary floating in the Arabian sea, years after he dreamt of it. The discovery, thus, bringing an occasion for festivities along with it. Local historian Peter De Souza, however, suggests the fair has been a part of the church's history since 1669.

The fair as he describes began modestly as a small feast celebrating Mary's birth and gradually grew in size and popularity. It grew out of the culture of pilgrimage as pilgrims rested in the area after the feast, attracting many vendors and sellers to the spot. Eventually, the fair grew to be what it became today, drawing in people from multiple regions and religions to visit and celebrate.

The fair features games, concerts, rides, food stalls offering Goan and Maharashtrian cuisine, sweets, and handicrafts. It lasts for eight days, opening at 10 am daily and ending at 10 pm, with activities detailed on the church notice board. with activities listed on the church notice board. 

The event is organized by the Chembur Welfare Association and its volunteers. The festival is organized usually in the winter months of January, February. As the festival approaches closer, the garden suburb becomes lively as it gets decorated with lights, stalls on the roads, and wall art performed by school students for the period of five days with the grand closing ceremony taking place at the Chembur Gymkhana Ground. The five day festival in 2023 opened with hosting the Yoga and Fitness Session early in the morning from 7:30 am onwards for the first three days and Singing Session on the fourth day. There are events throughout the day from 10 am to 10 pm  that attract people across the city to be a part of and stroll on the street shopping at stalls. As part of the closing ceremony, the people danced  to the rhythm and beats of Sonu Nigam at the Chembur Gymkhana Ground. The festival has been graced by artists such as Kailash Kher, Daler Mehndi and Mikka Singh, etc.