With all hotels full due to sermon of Dawoodi Bohra spiritual leader in Marol, some...
With all hotels full due to sermon of Dawoodi Bohra spiritual leader in Marol, some...
Over 50,000 Dawoodi Bohras have come to Mumbai from around the world to attend the 9-day Muharram sermon, which starts from tomorrow, of their spiritual leader Syedna Dr Mohammed Burhanuddin (TUS).
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So with all hotels in and around Marol, Andheri, where the sermon will take place, fully booked in advance, many followers are shelling out a minimum of Rs 5,000 a day as rent for shanties close to the venue.
And they're not sorry about having to pay so much.
Saifuddin Fakruddin (32) and his family of seven have come to Mumbai from Kuwait to attend the sermon. They are staying in a 200-sq-ft shanty with an attached toilet and bathroom on a daily rent of Rs 5,000.
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"We are here for our spiritual leader and do not mind any hardship we face in the process," he said.
Cashing in
And Fakruddin is not alone. "The community members are ready to pay any price to stay close to the Syedna," said Z H Nadvi, proprietor of Alif Real Estate Consultancy.
Several followers approached Nadvi after they realised that all hotels around Marol were full.
A resident of Marol, said her family was offered Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh for her 1 BHK flat.
"Enquiries started coming on the day the sermon's venue was announced. The first day, we were offered rent of Rs 5,000 per day, then it went up to Rs 7,000.
Yesterday, I was offered Rs 1 lakh for 10 days," she said.
Imran Shaikh (30), a shanty owner in Marol, added, "Earlier we used to rent out premises for Rs 5,000 a month, but now we are charging the same amount daily.
Our aim is not to make money, but to give assistance for a religious cause."
Who is the Syedna?
Syedna Dr Mohammed Burhanuddin (TUS) is the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq or the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community. Born on March 6, 1915, in Surat, he has seven sons and three daughters.
His family lives in the Saifee Mahal complex in Walkeshwar.
15 Lakh
The number of Dawoodi Bohras worldwide who are followers of u00a0the Syedna
2006
The last time the sermon was held in Mumbai
| The Event |
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Starting from Friday, the Syedna will deliver sermons from a mosque in Saifee Park, Marol, for nine days during the holy month of Muharram, a period of mourning for the Bohra community. |
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