COLOMBO: The Dawoodi Bohra complex in Colombo is a hive of activity as the city has been chosen as a venue for live broadcast of the Ashara Mubaraka 2024 congregations being held in Karachi, Pakistan this year.
Every Dawoodi Bohra community center across the world marks the occasion with a series of congregations over ten days covering various themes for its local congregation. The largest gathering within the community takes place at the venue where the leader of the worldwide Dawoodi Bohras community His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin leads the congregations. Continuing the time-honored tradition of his forefathers, Syedna Saifuddin chooses a different city each year as the venue for Ashara Mubaraka.
This year, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has chosen Karachi to host the Ashara Mubaraka congregations; however, thousands of community members, both residents and visitors in Colombo, will also have the opportunity to benefit from the live broadcast of congregations from Karachi.
Mufaddal Zainuddin, a member of the project management team in Colombo said, “We whole-heartedly welcome all the Dawoodi Bohra guests from different parts of the world who have gathered in our country to attend Ashara Mubaraka sermons. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has chosen Karachi as the host city for the congregations; however, we’re fortunate that Colombo has been selected as a venue for the live broadcast at our centers.”
“Our sincere gratitude to government authorities and local bodies for their extraordinary support and permissions in hosting over 15,000 Dawoodi Bohra visitors for this event,” Zainuddin added.
“Participating in the Ashara Mubaraka congregations is a deeply spiritual and enriching experience for our community members. It’s a time for reflection, learning, and coming together in unity,” said Khadija Aliasgar, a Dawoodi Bohra visitor who came to Colombo from Bahrain with her family.
In preparation for the influx of visitors, the local community in Colombo has made extensive arrangements for their comfort and well-being. The logistics team has organised transportation, food, assistance in accommodation and medical facilities to ensure a pleasant experience for all attendees.
“We landed in the early hours, however, volunteers went a long way to make our experience seamless. They issued a sim card and pre-booked a car to save us the hassle of early morning transport,” said Adnan Ezzi who flew in from Hamburg, Germany.