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

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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. 

Maharashtra

Ameer Sunni Dawat-e-Islami Maulana Mohammad. Shakir Noori is once again included in the list of the 500 most influential Muslims of the year 2026.

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Mumbai: November 1 – Maulana Muhammad Shakir Noori, Ameer of Sunni Dawat-e-Islami, who has played a prominent role in the fields of education, social and welfare services, and religious and religious leadership, and under whose management the annual gathering held at Azad Maidan, Mumbai, is one of the largest Sunni gatherings in the world, has been included in the list of 500 most influential Muslims in the world. This list consists of those personalities who are playing a prominent role in the Muslim world with a spirit of positive change, leadership, influence and service. This list is compiled under the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center, Oman (Jordan) and is published every year in collaboration with the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University (USA). In a statement issued on Friday, Sunni Dawat-e-Islami said that Maulana Noori’s tireless efforts in promoting educational and social services and welfare works have earned him this honor at the global level.

The statement said that Maulana Shakir Noori, who leads one of India’s largest Sunni organizations, has impacted thousands of lives through education, women’s empowerment, youth guidance and anti-drug campaigns. This award is not only a recognition of Maulana Noori’s services but also reflects the positive and constructive identity of Indian Muslims at the global level. Sunni Dawat-e-Islami is a non-political religious organization headquartered in Mumbai. Every year around December, this organization organizes a three-day grand gathering that includes religious speeches, speeches on contemporary issues, and educational guidance for students.

About three hundred thousand people participate in this gathering annually. About 50 educational institutions are established under the organization, in which more than 7,000 students are studying. Maulana Noori has authored more than 40 books that have been published in different languages. He has started several welfare projects, including empowering Muslim youth and women through education, providing food and clothing to the poor, guiding the weaker sections, reforming the youth, and campaigns against drugs and intoxicants. On this joyful occasion, congratulations are being offered by scholars, preachers, and concerned people, and Hazrat Ameer Sunni Dawat-e-Islami is praying for his health and long life.

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Maharashtra

‘Run for Unity’ marathon organized in Malegaon on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, large number of youth participated

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Malegaon: On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of freedom fighter and iron man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a Run for Unity Marathon was organized in Malegaon city. A three-kilometer long Run for Unity Marathon (Ekta Door) was jointly organized by Azadnagar Police Station and Qila Police Station located in Malegaon city. A large number of youth participated in this race and enthusiastically covered a distance of three kilometers. This race was organized under the guidance and leadership of Nashik Gramin Superintendent of Police (SP) Balasaheb Patil. On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of national hero Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, this marathon was organized with the joint efforts of Azadnagar and Qila Police Station. The youth participated in the marathon and spread the message of peace, brotherhood and brotherhood.

The Ekta Door started on Friday at 10 am from Chandpuri Gate located in Azadnagar Police Station. The Ekta Run, which started from Azadnagar Police Station, passed through Khanqah Masjid, Khan Collection, Sulaimani Chowk, Musharat Chowk, Bhuko Chowk, Anjuman Chowk, Nehru Chowk, Bohra Jamaat Khana, Panch Qandil and ended at Azadnagar Police Station at 11 am. More than two hundred people participated in the run, including a large number of police officers, citizens and students. Students and youth also participated in this run in large numbers.

Yogesh Ghorpade, Central Police Officer of Azadnagar Police Station, not only organized the run but also participated in the three-kilometer long run himself. Along with Yogesh Ghorpade, Senior Police Inspector of Qila Police Station, Sudhir Patil also assisted in organizing the Run for Unity. Sohail Sheikh won the first place in the marathon run. While Sachin Mali won the second place and Sheikh Aftab won the third place. Participants under the age of eighteen were also awarded prizes and honors. Every citizen who participated in the marathon run was awarded a certificate. Apart from Azad Nagar and Qila Police, City Police Station also organized the Ekta Daur to spread the message of brotherhood.

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Maharashtra

Chargesheet filed against Mumbai drug traffickers under ANC’s Makoka

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Mumbai: Mumbai Maharashtra Anti-Narcotics Cell has filed a chargesheet in a special MCOCA court under the MCOCA against a drug peddler gang in Bandra Mumbai. The Maharashtra government had passed the MCOCA law in the assembly on July 30, 2025 to curb drug peddlers and gangs and since then, action has been taken against such drug peddler groups in Maharashtra under the MCOCA. The Anti-Narcotics Cell had arrested two associates of Zameer Ahmed Abdul Khaliq Ansari alias Boka, a fugitive accused in an NDPS case, from Bandra area of ​​Mumbai, on charges of drug trafficking, who have been identified as Adnan Amir Sheikh and Khatun Kainat Zubair Sheikh. The Anti-Narcotics Cell ANC has imposed MCOCA against the three accused, including the fugitive accused and drug smuggler. This action was taken on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti. A 953-page chargesheet has been filed in a special MCOCA court against these accused, including the fugitive accused.

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