Mumbai’s secular fabric is most severely tested when days of special significance for different communities coincide. Mumbai is already in the throes of hectic preparation for the Ganpati festival beginning today. The Mount Mary Fair in the queen of suburbs, Bandra, is also drawing people by the thousands. Today, the Jains mark the last day of the fasting period of Paryushan. And, in just a few days, the Muslim community will observe Bakri Eid.

Of late there have been serious, concerted attempts to politicise several issues. Most recently, the veg-non-vegetarian controversy was blown way out of proportion. While the ban on meat was certainly unjustified, we saw politicians trying to stoke the fire further, even as things threatened to spiral out of control in certain pockets of the city.