Maharashtra
Prayers, Food, & Games: Lakhs Expected To Visit Mahim Fair That Starts Tomorrow

The 10-day annual fair at the dargah of Makhdum Ali Mahimi at Mahim will start on December 27 as it has always, with a procession of personnel from the Mahim police station walking to the shrine bearing gifts of a chadar, a shawl to cover the tomb, and scented offerings. The fair starts six days after the Urs, or the death anniversary of the saint which was observed last week.
The shrine of Makhdum Ali Mahimi
The shrine is revered as the tomb of a religious scholar believed to have lived between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Stories of miraculous cures bring thousands of pilgrims to the dargah which is the city’s second-most-visited Sufi shrine after the Haji Ali dargah.The shrine observed the saint’s 610th death anniversary or Urs on December 21 which corresponded to the eighth day of the Islamic month Jamadul Akhir which began on December 14. The Urs began last week with the unfurling of the national flag and singing of the song ‘Sare jahan se acha’. This is followed by the raising of the flags of the police and the dargah.
Event is a ‘gazetted mela’
Sohail Khandwani, trustee of the Pir Makhdum Saheb Charitable Trust, said that the fair that takes place around the shrine during the Urs is a ‘gazetted mela’ as the event is listed in government gazettes from the pre-independence days. “The fair started in 1910, so this is the 113th year,” said Khandwani.
For a religious place, the shrine has an unusual feature – a copy of the preamble to the Constitution of India mounted on the wall near the Ashtana or the shrine’s inner sanctum which houses the saint’s tomb.
Mansoor Khan of the Sufi Islamic Board said that the idea behind placing the preamble’s copy is to show that no place in the country is untouched by the theme of nationalism. “As things are today, shrines are shown in a negative light. We have to show that there is no religious discrimination at this place. Dargahs are inclusive and embracers of national culture,” explained Khan.
More about ‘Mahim ka Mela’
Apart from the spiritual aspects of the festival, the ‘Mahim ka Mela’, organised like a carnival, is an attraction for visitors. As the number of visitors to the fair has grown, the event, which was once confined to the narrow Dargah Street, has shifted to Balamia Street and extends to Mahim Beach. More than five lakh people are expected to visit the fair.
Ashraf Ahmed Shaikh, a lawyer and resident of Mahim said, “It is like a traditional fair, with amusement rides. Shopkeepers come from all over India to sell different kinds of food. The main dish at the fair is ‘Halwa Paratha’. As kids we were excited about the fair,” said Shaikh.
There is no authentic record of how the Mumbai police became involved with the shrine’s annual festival, but it is said that personnel prayed to the saint when there was a particularly difficult crime case to be investigated. Other than the police, officials from the traffic police, the Brihahmumbai Municipal Corporation, and the Mumbai Port Trust are involved in managing traffic and stalls at the fair.
1st dargah trust to get an ISO certification in 2007
The shrine is the first dargah trust to get an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) certification in 2007 for management practices. The certificate has been renewed till July 2025. The certificate acknowledges the trust’s calibre in organising the Urs, the religious research it facilitates, and the library services charity activities of the trust.
The shrine houses a 600-year-old Quran believed to have been written by the saint. An annual exposition called the ‘Quran Sharief Ziyarat’ is held on a day in the month of Ramzan when the book is displayed to the faithful for a few hours. During the rest of the year, the book is kept in a silver box in the Ashtana. The shrine’s managers said that the book was stitched together a century ago with pages written by the saint.
Business
Sensex, Nifty extend gains on buying in heavyweights

Mumbai, Oct 7: Indian stock markets continued their upward trend on Tuesday, supported by buying in major stocks such as ICICI Bank, ITC and more.
However, profit booking in select banking stocks limited the overall gains during the early trading hours.
The Sensex, which rose more than 100 points in early trade, was trading at 81,843, up 52 points or 0.06 per cent.
The Nifty also gained 34 points or 0.14 per cent to reach 25,112 after hitting an intra-day high of 25,140.
Among the top gainers on the Sensex were Power Grid, Bajaj Finance, HCL Tech, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Ultratech Cement, NTPC, Hindustan Unilever, Bajaj Finserv, and BEL, which rose between 0.3 per cent and 1.6 per cent.
On the other hand, Trent, Axis Bank, Tata Motors, TCS, SBI, Kotak Bank, Tech Mahindra, HDFC Bank, and Infosys were among the major losers, slipping up to 2.7 per cent.
In the broader market, the Nifty MidCap index gained 0.08 per cent, while the Nifty SmallCap index rose 0.41 per cent — showing continued interest from investors in smaller companies.
Among sectoral indices, Nifty Metal and Nifty IT were the top performers, each gaining 0.4 per cent.
The Nifty PSU Bank index was the worst hit, falling 0.3 per cent due to profit booking in public sector lenders.
Analysts said that overall market sentiment remains positive, though some volatility may persist due to profit-taking at higher levels.
“The ongoing mild rally in the market has the potential to gain momentum. The FII selling in India is slowly declining since the sharp appreciation in other markets has pushed up their valuations and the valuation differential between India and other markets has come down,” analysts said.
“Since there is huge short position in the market any positive news can trigger short-covering, further aiding the rally,” they added.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Weather Update: City Wakes Up To Cloudy Skies, Light To Moderate Rains Predicted; Thane & Palghar Under Yellow Alert

Mumbai: Mumbai woke up to a cloudy and humid morning on Tuesday following light drizzles overnight across several parts of the city and its suburbs. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), light to moderate rain is likely in isolated areas of Mumbai, Thane and Palghar throughout the day.
A yellow alert has been issued for both Thane and Palghar districts, warning of intermittent rainfall accompanied by cloudy skies. While Mumbai experienced relatively stable weather over the past week, the alert suggests that the city could witness light to moderate spells during the afternoon and evening hours.
In Mumbai, temperatures are expected to range between 26°C and 31°C. Despite the occasional drizzle overnight, high humidity levels will make conditions feel warmer and uncomfortable. The weather department has advised citizens to remain cautious and carry umbrellas, as light rain could occur unexpectedly in several areas.
Thane, under the yellow alert, saw overcast conditions since early morning. Meteorologists anticipate heavier rain spells in the afternoon, with a few areas possibly recording intense showers. Daytime temperatures are likely to stay between 25°C and 30°C. Navi Mumbai is set to witness similar weather conditions.
In Palghar, the IMD predicted a higher probability of rainfall. Early morning saw drizzle and humid conditions across several parts of the district. The rain intensity is expected to increase in the latter half of the day, with temperatures ranging from 24°C to 29°C.
Meanwhile, the coastal districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg are likely to remain dry today. These regions, which witnessed intermittent light rain over the past week, are expected to experience stable weather and partly cloudy skies. The IMD forecast suggests no significant rainfall activity, with temperatures hovering between 27°C and 32°C. Coastal areas, however, may continue to feel warm and humid due to prevailing moisture in the air.
Maharashtra
Conspiracy to defame Sameer Wankhede… serious accusation of protecting Cordelia Cruz from drug case, Judge Irfan Shaikh dismissed after disciplinary committee report

Mumbai: An attempt to defame former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede has started once again. Now the latest case is the dismissal of Judge Irfan Sheikh, in which this allegation has been made against Sameer Wankhede. In the Cordelia Cruz case, instead of arresting Judge Irfan Sheikh, his team has saved the judge. Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Irfan Sheikh was then posted as a judge of the Splendid Court. He was currently serving as a judge of Palghar and Thana District. After serious allegations like misuse of office, use of seized drugs, hitting a taxi with his car on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg while intoxicated, abusing his powers along with having disproportionate wealth, hiding his identity at Nair Hospital and registering a false and misleading address, and getting the car back without depositing it, the High Court has dismissed the judge from service under disciplinary action. When the judge was investigated in the case, the allegations were found to be true and Irfan Sheikh was dismissed from his job. There is no mention of the Cordelia Cruz drug case anywhere in it, but Sameer Wankhede is being accused of helping the judge. Sameer Wankhede has categorically denied this and said that there is no mention of the Cordelia Cruz drug case in the police report or the judicial committee report.
When the documents and copies were obtained in this regard, there was no mention of the Cordelia Cruise drug case. Sameer Wankhede is a constant target of Bollywood, so Shah Rukh Khan’s company Red Chillies Entertainment had prepared a series of bad Bollywood stories against him, against which Sameer Wankhede has filed a defamation case in the Delhi High Court and its hearing is likely to be held soon. The series of slander against Sameer Wankhede and his family has become long and this is the reason why the attempt to defame Sameer Wankhede has intensified in the Irfan Sheikh case as well, but Sameer Wankhede or the NCB team have no role or involvement in this matter.
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