Iftar in South Mumbai

One of the amazing elements of life here in Mumbai is the array of religious activities that you can witness, marvel at, and take part in.  Last night Jordan, Waciuma and I went downtown to Mohammed Ali Road to eat alongside thousands of other Muslims as they break their fast.  It is a traditional area for families from all walks of life to come together and eat.  Like many of our experiences here, it is tough to fully describe the scene due the overwhelming array of smells, sounds, and people.

hanging kebabs ready for action

Upon arriving by train at Masjid Station around 6:30pm, we, in true Mumbai fashion, quickly got out our phones to figure out where to walk to and made our way for a short 15min walk through the neighborhood.  The streets were packed with delivery trucks, workers hurrying home for dinner, goats tied up, people were buying clothes and shoes and Islamic prayer DVD's and in general, the noise was growing.  As the large Mosque came into view we came upon the food stalls, first veg/fruit vendors, and then the shawarma stands.

Kashmiri Sharbat -- yes, I braved the ice cubes

Inside the Mosque rows of men waited patiently with freshly cut fruit in front of him.  Outside, right on the street, tarps has been laid down and rows of women and girls sat cross-legged across from each other with fresh fruit scattered between.  It was so crowded, we kept getting pushed close to the hot fires of the street vendors.  Again, the noise crescendoed.

Women seated on the street waiting for the Iftar to begin

At exactly 7:09pm with fresh shawarmas in hand, we heard the call to prayer from the gigantic speakers on the minarets and immediately everyone dug in to their food.  The next fifteen minutes were almost silent -- everyone just sat back and enjoyed the moment.  It was pretty surreal to observer several thousand people cramped into a small space with such a small volume.

Jordan contemplates the samosa and samosa-like egg rolls

Then the crowd grew as everyone moved through to get to other food stalls.  We tried several dishes, mostly fried food so the evening resembled a sort of Islamic State Fair.

We chose not to eat Brain Masala -- but I couldn't resist this shot with the chef

Our stomachs full, we ended up walking to Victoria Terminus due to the overwhelming crowds at Masjid Station to take the train back to Bandra.  It was a cool evening with a festive atmosphere and a perfect night out on the town.

I dare someone to find a better looking train station anywhere else