Tushar Gandhi, activist and great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, has globe-trotted, visiting monuments, museums, mausoleums and places of worship. But his visit to the iconic Juma Masjid near Crawford Market this past week, he says, was different. Getting a guided tour of the 250-year-old mosque built on a living pond, recalls Gandhi, filled him with joy.“I had seen this mosque once before, but this time I actually discovered what it looks like from inside and learnt what happens there,” says the 66-year-old.Gandhi, and visitors from other faiths, were invited to the mosque under the ‘Masjid Parichay’ or ‘Visit my Mosque’ initiative — which is part of the ‘Prophet For All’ campaign — in preparation for the Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi celebrations of the Prophet’s birthday, on August 26.“We want to get rid of misunderstandings and misconceptions about the community and build bridges,” explains Islam Gymkhana president Yusuf Abrahni, who leads the campaign.Launched on August 14, the 12-day campaign includes naatia mushairas or recitation of poems, processions, prayers, medical camps and ziyarat (viewing of holy relics, which includes a strand of hair from the Prophet’s beard) being held at Mahim and Haji Ali dargahs.“We expect 50,000 visitors at Haji Ali and 5,000 to 7,000 at Mahim Dargah,” says Sohail Khandwani, managing trustee of both dargahs.The Prophet’s birthday celebrations are incomplete without processions. The oldest of these is the one that begins at the historic Khilafat House in Byculla and concludes at Mastan Talao at Nagpada.Started in 1919 by the freedom fighters popularly known as Ali Brothers (Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar and Shaukat Ali), the procession is traditionally led by prominent political and religious personalities.Gandhi, too, led a couple of processions in the 1920s, as part of his campaign to bring the two communities together to fight the British. Today, around 500 vehicles, including trucks, tempos and pickup vans decorated with flags, and banners bearing messages of love, peace and harmony, participate in the procession.“Over the decades, the procession has acquired iconic status,” says Sarfraz Arzoo, chairman, All India Khilafat Committee, which organises this historic procession. “Members of other communities, too, participate in it and welcome it as it passes through some of the most thickly populated areas of the city. The festive mood is heightened and it becomes a good occasion to bond.”Another interesting element of the celebrations is the launch of naatia mushairas or recitation sessions of panegyric poems that pay tribute to the Prophet. A naatia mushaira featuring Hindu poets was held on August 22, and another one, on August 25 — organised by the Sarhadi Gandhi Sadbhavna Manch and Urdu Majlis — will feature some of the best Urdu poets in the country.“The Hindu poets mesmerised the predominantly Muslim audience with their recitation of the poems praising the Prophet. This once again reiterated our famed composite culture,” says Farid Khan of the Urdu Caravan which co-ordinated the naatia mushaira as part of the ‘Prophet For All’ campaign.
