Abhijeet Dipke met Manoj Jarange Patil amid his ongoing hunger strike and inquired about his health. Jarange Patil has been on hunger strike for 14 days, prompting Dipke to appeal to him to withdraw the fast and take care of his health, saying Maharashtra needs him. (Pic/X)

Ahead of the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, popularly called the birthday of Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, on September, many churches across Mumbai and India observed nine days of prayer in preparation. Here are some glimpses from the church in Irla, which is among the most popular churches dedicated to her in the city