| Situated
on a quiet hillock in suburban Bandra, Mount Mary is probably Mumbai's
best-known church for Christians and non-christians alike. As the name
suggests, it is dedicated to the Mother of Christ and in September, the
festival of the Virgin Mother culminates in a week long fair, popularly
known as Bandra Fair, that has all the excitement of a small carnival.
Stalls sell sticky Goan sweets and wax idols of the Virgin along with an
assortment of candles shaped like hands, feet and various other parts of
the body. The sick and suffering choose one that corresponds to their
ailment and light it in Church, with the pious hope that Mother Mary
will consider their appeals for help. |
