Come September, and Bandra, traditionally the Queen of Mumbai’s suburbs, takes on a different hue. The 300-year old Bandra Fair descends on this suburb, once known for its pretty bungalows. The fair simply means, 8-15 days of lots of merry-making, streets filled with eateries, shopping and giant wheels. It also means lakhs of people descending on one hilly corner of this otherwise quiet suburb. The fair’s origins are deep rooted in the Catholic religion, what gets the numbers to the Mount Mary Church, the focal point of the Fair. Legend has it that Mary’s statue located inside the church was found floating in the Arabian Sea by fishermen in 1760.
Having seen this sea of humanity converge every year on this tiny spot of Bandra, the memories have been pleasant but these days a little worrisome too. Is it really so important for people to come from afar (as far as Kerala and Kolkata) for this annual pilgrimage? Am not talking about the God is Everywhere argument, am only asking whether technology can help take away some of this distance.
What if the Mount Mary Church’s proceeding for the entire stretch of the Bandra Fair is streamed live into everyone’s homes via satellite. Or what if the church fixed a deal with a service provider to telecast live the goings-on. Am saying this because even after coming from so far, pilgrims can get only a few minutes with Mary’s statue, if not lesser. Sometimes they can see her only from a distance. Besides, the journey to the Mount and back is not an easy affair. All private transport to Mount Mary church comes to a halt during the Bandra Fair, except for residents of the area who have to obtain a pass from the police to get their vehicles in or out.
Pilgrims and residents, both have to walk long to hop into a public bus.Roads are blocked and difficult for ambulances and other emergency vehicles to enter Bandra Fair. Besides, countless incidents of visitors falling ill are reported everyday, those who are unable to take the strain of the crowds or the queues to have a glimpse of Mary’s statue. Stampedes are common too. With regards to sanitation, there is just a public toilet near Mount Mary Steps which is perpetually frequented by shop keepers who set up stalls during the fair, and another one near the church is always crowded.
In such a case, if technology can make Bandra Fair a virtual experience, it is bound to reduce the crowd and congestion. And the countless cases of eve-teasing and molestation that come to the local police station. One local cablewalla tried it with a few households some years ago but stopped. Not that it brought down number of pilgrims but it gave worship a new-age twist.