Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS, the 53rd al-Dai al-Mutlaq and head of the Dawoodi Bohra community arrived in Colombo yesterday, to conduct the Ashara Mubaraka sermons in the city. He was received at the airport by Cabinet ministers, government officials and members of the community.
TUS arrived at Burhani Park where thousands of Dawoodi Bohras accorded him a warm welcome.
Syedna addressed the audience briefly and thanked the Sri Lankan government, especially President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for inviting him as State Guest to Colombo. He also acknowledged the warm welcome and the arrangements made for his visit and the overall Ashara Mubaraka congregation.
During his stay in the city Syedna will also interact with local community members and look into their affairs. Senior government officials of the country and leaders of other faith communities are expected to meet with Syedna and discuss topics pertaining to the betterment of the city and society at large.
Although Dawoodi Bohra centres across the world will host this event locally for members in their cities, the gathering led by Saifuddin TUS, which varies from city to city each year, will attract thousands of community members. In Colombo this year, about 21,000 guests from over 40 different countries are expected to attend.
Bus companies have been hired to ferry attendees from different parts of the city. Over the course of the nine days, hundreds of thousands of meals will be served and they will also travel to other parts in Sri i Lanka.
‘Thousands of volunteers from the global Dawoodi Bohra community have started to arrive in Colombo to help with the preparation of various venues. These teams are experienced in planning aspects of flow management and coordination required to ensure that such a large event runs smoothly and efficiently,’ shared Mufaddal Adamjee, local PR coordinator.
The Bohras in Sri Lanka, like the community at large, are mostly businessmen and traders. After many years of preparatory work, Colombo was finally chosen as the venue for this year’s Ashara Mubaraka, an honour it has had six times in the past.
Meanwhile Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife & Christian Religious Affairs, John Amaratunga said that this visit by over 21, 000 Bohras to Sri Lanka clearly underlines that Sri Lanka is now safe to travel.
“It is encouraging that the world has responded by helping Sri Lanka return to almost normal patterns of arrival in a much shorter period than initially anticipated”.
“We can now confidently look forward to a very successful winter season ahead, which is traditionally our peak season. With the visa fee exemption scheme in full swing and reduced ticket prices, Sri Lanka is now a very competitive destination for the international traveller,” the Minister said.
“The recovery steps post-incident is evident as May, June and July have recorded a gradual increase in the arrivals with 37,000, 67,000 and 117,000 respectively,” said Johanna Jayaratne Chairman SLTDA.
“The Government expects a substantial increase in tourist arrivals through this move, though there will be a loss of revenue for the Department of Immigration and Emigration”.
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