NEW DELHI, Sept. 25 -- In September, when Mumbai's monsoon begins to slow down, hundreds of thousands of people from the city make the annual pilgrimage to Mount Mary Basilica, a church in suburban Bandra. They come to pray and celebrate Mother Mary's birthday on 8 September. The Sunday that follows marks the beginning of a week-long fair. The area within a 2km radius of the church is packed with people, the air thick with the smell of Goan sausages and roasted peanuts, and ringing with the squeals of children on giant wheels. In the 350-year history of the Bandra fair, this year is only the second time it has had to be cancelled; the first was during the bubonic plague in the late 19th century.
This year, the fair was scheduled from 13-20...