Siddhibaba crucifix big draw on Christmas

Tucked away in a corner of the street leading from Doordarshan Kendra to Elphinstone Road is a crucifix, that is being lit up for a Christmas puja.

Devotees, who throng the shrine through the year in the belief that it fulfils every prayer, are busy decorating the shrine. In fact, its “miracles” are what gave it the unique name of Siddhibaba.

A remnant from many grottos and crucifixes from a bygone era, when Worli was a fishing village comprising East Indian Koli Christian families, this crucifix is located at Worli’s lowest point.

The place often gets flooded despite little rain. Padmavatiamma, a local resident who religiously sweeps the shrine floor , says, “Even when the street gets flooded, the water never rises to Siddhibaba’s platform.”

“The East Indian Koli Christians have long gone but the textile worker community which settled here adopted the crucifix ,” says 78-year-old Atmaram Parab. In his one-room BDD chawl house, a photograph of the shrine jostles for space at the altar alongside those of his family deities.

“When I was struck with paralysis, I thought I would never walk. But Siddhibaba cured me,” he says, his eyes moistening.

Septuagenarian Madhukar Jadhav, an old textile hand, remembers being told to worship Siddhibaba while rushing for exams. “My grandmother would insist I remove my footwear, go bow my head and circumambulate around the cross to ensure I pass,” he reminisces.

Padmavatiamma holds Him responsible for helping her family out of many crises after the mills shut. Like several other locals, she unfailingly offers a coconut and garlands at the cross every full moon  and new moon.

“No marriage – Hindu, Muslim or Christian – is complete without the couple’s being brought here for blessings,” she says.

Sociologist Nandini Sardesai says the few instances of secularism still surviving in a rapidly polarising city should be encouraged. She remembers how Koli women line up at the Mount Mary church, Bandra, with offerings of jasmine garlands, coconuts and saris. “If it doesn’t create dogma and blind belief, it’s welcome,” she adds.