Mumbai's Dawoodi Bohras head to Indore

At least 20,000 members of the Dawoodi Bohra community in Mumbai will be attending the Muharram sermons, their nine-day long annual religious congregation, in Indore, later this month.

After three years, the community's spiritual leader, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, will address more than 1.6 lakh people in India for the nine-day long Ashara Mubaraka sermons, which will begin on September 12.

The community's administrative body has booked several coaches of a train, which will ferry 900 of their members to Indore and back to Mumbai. "The train will depart from Mumbai on September 10," said Khozema Faizullabhoy, general secretary of Anjumane Shiate Ali, the body that manages the affairs of the community in Mumbai. Members of the community will also travel from various parts of India, and other countries, including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Australia, the US, Singapore, Hong Kong and parts of East Africa.

Despite the venue being within the country, the journey will not be an easy one for some of the members of the community, who are determined to make the trip regardless. Husain Dhuliawala, 25, who has cerebral palsy, is one of them. "Our Syedna's sermons are beneficial for our body and mind. I try to attend the sermons every year no matter where they are being held in the world," he said.

It is a big year for Jumana Yusuf Savliwala, 27, who is currently in the eighth month of her pregnancy. She wasn't able to attend the sermons for the past five years. But this year, she's going to Indore with her entire family. "My doctor said I can go. I'll attend 6-7 days of the sermon with my four-year-old son," she said.

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