Mahim Nights: Kebabs, Halwa-Paratha and a Century-Old Mela

Just after maghrib on a December evening in Mumbai, the road skirting Mahim dargah turns into a river of people and smoke.

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The green-lit shrine of 14th-century Sufi saint Makhdoom Ali Mahimi glows at one end; at the other, a giant Ferris wheel throws neon arcs over rows of stalls. Between them lies what many Mumbaikars wait for all year - ten nights of Mahim Mela, where blessings and food come in the same walk.

This year's fair runs from December 5 to 15, officially described as Mumbai's “most eagerly awaited mela,” a 124-year-old tradition that now supports more than 2,000 families. The Urs rituals at the dargah – sandal offerings, cha-dar processions, the beat of nagaras – are the spiritual center. But for many visitors, the real memory is what they ate afterwards: a plate of paya soup warming cold hands, a paper dish of kebabs wolfed down before a ride, or the infamous halwa-paratha so big it needs two people to lift.