During my years as a student in Bombay, I longed for the arrival of this date - the unforgettable date - that is the 8th of September, the feast of Our Lady of the Mount. It is a great day for all the faithful as well as for the business people. Thousands of peopke from all walks of life flock to the beautiful and religious shrine, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion to pay their annual homage and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
But for me as a young lad, the wait was more for the fun fair that I looked forward to - the games, the giant wheel, the different stalls selling different toys, clothes and snacks.
This majestic Roman Catholic Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, is situated on a hillock in Bandra, Mumbai, India. The week-long feast is celebrated and culminates on birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
During the time when I was in Goa as a young child, I accompanied other boys and girls from our village to St. Diogo's with little baskets of flowers and sang 'Devache Maie, pau tum amkam'. During the celebration all children stood in line along the centre aisle and tossed the flowers up in the air over our heads in adoration.