A 'Sweet' Tradition That Unites Hindus And Muslims Of Mumbai Every Year

Muslims welcome Lalbaug Ka Raja and revellers are served Shahi Serbet ( Image Source :Getty )

Last week, a controversy erupted at Trimbakeshwar in the Nashik district of Maharashtra. A few Muslim youngsters who were part of a procession tried to enter the temple after it was shut down for the day. It was reported that the youngsters were planning to express their gratitude to Lord Shiva by offering flowers. They were prevented by the security personnel. The local Hindu organisations took offence at the act and suspected it to be an attempt to desecrate the holy place. 

Entry of non-Hindus is prohibited inside the Trimbakeshwar temple, which is regarded as one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. The Maharashtra government swung into action and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a senior police officer to investigate the matter.

While this incident is another instance of conflict between the two communities in Maharashtra, it also reminds me of a tradition in Mumbai that tends to unite them. The tradition is associated with one of the most famous Ganesha idols in Mumbai known as Lalbaugcha Raja. I have mentioned about that tradition in my book 'Bombay After Ayodhya' and find it relevant to reproduce that excerpt here:

The tall fame of Lalbaug Ka Raja extends till the last day of the festival when the 15 feet tall idol gets pulled out of the pandal for immersion at Girgaon Chowpatty. Lakhs of people participate in this 7-kilometre-long procession, which takes about twenty hours because of the swarm of people throughout. The procession passes through some of the most congested areas of South and Central Mumbai, including a few communally sensitive patches. A large number of policemen are deployed when the procession crosses the Muslim-dominated localities like Byculla, Nagpada and Do Taki. In 1946, taking note of the communal riots that preceded the festival, the Bombay Police ordered the route of the procession to be altered. However, the organisers refused to obey and insisted on following the traditional route. Ultimately, the immersion procession was taken out ten days later from the same route. The traditional route of the procession is sacrosanct as well because sentiments of people are attached to it.

The tradition of procession continued even during some of the most sensitive times, such as the wars with Pakistan during 1965 and 1971 and the horrifying Hindu-Muslim riots in Bhiwandi during 1984. The year 1993 was perhaps the trickiest one. 

That year, the Ganeshotsav was celebrated in the aftermath of the deadliest communal riots of Bombay and a series of bomb blasts that shook the country. Sudhir Salvi, the president of the organisation, recollects: "The situation was very tense, and we were worried about the consequences when the procession would pass from the Muslim-dominated areas. Then a Muslim social worker named Jamdar Zariwala came to meet us with people from his community. He said, 'Whatever has happened has happened. We want to welcome Lalbaug Ka Raja. When the procession reaches Nagpada junction, all office-bearers are invited on our stage. We will welcome you with Shahi Sherbet (royal drink). Let the message of Hindu-Muslim unity go to the world from Bombay'."

From that year, it has become a tradition. Muslims welcome Lalbaug Ka Raja and revellers are served Shahi Serbet. 'Jamdar chacha' died a few years ago but his son has continued the tradition. The procession passes with no trouble from the Muslim areas. En route to Chowpatty, Lalbaug Ka Raja is welcomed at another location as well by the Muslim populace. When the procession reaches Hindustani Masjid at Byculla, the Raja is garlanded and the Muslim residents distribute sweets.

(Bombayphile is published every Saturday where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)

[Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP News Network Pvt Ltd.]