Bandra Fair: Mumbaikars reminisce about pre-pandemic celebrations and how it has changed

For the second consecutive year the annual Feast of Mother Mary is being celebrated virtually in accordance with the curbs on congregations necessitated by the pandemic And while the festivities are typically centred on Mount Mary Basilicarsquos novena and the ensuing Octave the feast has been one of the suburbrsquos major attractions for visitors of all faiths from across the city On the eve of the final day of the festivities longtime residents reminisce about feasts from the years gone by and share how theyrsquove been marking the event albeit in a considerably toned down mannerFaith over allOrsquoNeal DrsquoAbreo wedding dressmakerA woman offers prayers at a grotto at the mountThe feast is a tradition that runs in our veins and our faith has held strong over centuries Our Lady of the Mount has always guided us through every adversity This year even though the church is closed to visitors people are still thronging to the mount to pay their respects As East Indians the feast is celebrated with plenty of food in our householdsThe bottle masalas which we prepare around April have now matured and are used in delicacies like chicken and duck moile We also make fugia Some families sell these foods on the mount and although the numbers are fewer you can still find stalls there this year While I am a bridal dressmaker by trade I was given the honour of creating Mother Maryrsquos veil and a vestment for Baby Jesus this year which we have just finished drapingA temporary setbackAnjali Pereira homemakerMy family has been running a stall with traditional Goan food at the mount for the last four decades now It is an opportunity for us to share our culture and tradition with visitors and also a means of income However business has taken a heavy beating for the last two years owing to the COVID19 restrictionsGoan sweets made and sold by Anjali Pereira PicsAnindita PaulStill I enjoy the process of making these treats mdash sausages guava cheese and coconut thali sweet among others mdash at home It is a tradition more than a business for me and something I take great pride inCommunity bondsWilson Tellis bakerFor many years the Bandra fair has been an annual tradition that brings the community together regardless of faith In fact even people who sold their houses and left the area make sure to come back for the feast and the locals have always made sure to get involved in some way mdash from selling candles and flowers to preparing and selling traditional sweets and delicacies that yoursquod be hardpressed to come across through the rest of the year such as guava cheese bebinca dodol and other Goan and East Indian fare The driving sentiment was more about getting involved in the event than commercial gains although the fair has been a significant source of income for many local families In fact my wife Sabina inherited the moulds that are used for the candles from her greatgrandmother All these candles were made locally and she continued to run a stall until a few years ago to keep up the traditionOver time things have changed and the stalls that were originally manned by the residents began to be rented out to people from other cities and states who have a competitive advantage in terms of costs and local ingredients and recipes The festivities were not contained to the church mdash residents still put up lights and play lively music to create a celebratory ambience We had September Garden at Mount Carmel Church with a Ferris Wheel and other rides as well as dance and jam sessions at Corona Garden Our days began early with the morning novena at the church on the mount and wersquod have our evening novenas at the local grotto which ended with an informal meetandgreet We never had to request a nonCatholic to participate it has always been a way of life for us Therersquos an old saying that Bandra and its suburbs will never flood or suffer from any adversity because of the statues that protect us legend says they were found at sea by the local fishermen Itrsquos a belief that still resonates with us