Born in Mumbai I was surprisingly oblivious to an incredible piece of history that not only eluded me but perhaps most of the readers of this piece.
Situated in the by lanes of Mumbai’s Lalbaug is the tomb of revered Sufi saint Lal Shah Baba also known as Lal Badshah or Lal Baugh ka Badshah after whom the name of LalBaugh is derived. It would have been extremely difficult for me to find my location if it was not for the help of an Old Muslim taxi driver who benevolently volunteered to help me locate the Sufi Dargah
He lead me to the Parsi Colony through the predominantly Maharashtrian alley in Lalbaugh towards an Iron Gate compound of an under construction massive residential complex, the incongruous concrete tower being built in a lower middle class Maharashtrian locality.
The watchmen reluctantly opened the gates and as we entered I could see Dargah of Lal Shah Baba in the compound. Stepping inside the Dargah complex, we were under suspicious prying eyes of the new local inhabitants. We stood outside the Sanctum Sanatorium when within one of the nearby homes emerged around 50 year old Mr. Mohammad Haroon whose family has been the Khadims or the caretakers of the shrine for generations.
The presence of shrine and the fact that the name of Lalbaugh got its name from Sufi Saint Lal Shah Baba was a revelation for me and it got me hungrier to get more facts about the holy place. Mr. Mohammad Haroon informed me that Sufi Saint Lal Shah Baba had arrived from Mecca in 17th century to Mumbai and was known to have blessed the city and its local inhabitants. His fame was far and wide and after his death in 1782 a Mausoleum complex was built in his respect by a British officer.
Lalbaugh and Parel region were a predominated by Muslims and Parsis as it’s still evident by the names of most of older buildings in locality that have primarily Muslim names but there is hardly any Muslim presence in the area today. The first wave of Muslim migration took place in 1947 when many of the Muslims left for Pakistan. Mohammad Haroon informed me that the second wave of migration that came as a surprise to me was after 1965 India, Pakistan war yet the dargah complex was the last Island of Muslim presence in Lalbaugh with around 25 to 30 families but unfortunately the last abode was shattered after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.
In the subsequent riots that followed in 1993 the Dargah complex was attacked by the mobs and most of the houses and property looted. As a result most of the Muslims in complex had to be evacuated. The Dargah was also attacked and damaged by the mob and its domes were completely destroyed. None of the Muslims that lived in the complex ever returned to their homes but it was only Mr. Mohammad Haroon’s family that returned to look after the holy shrine and rebuilt the domes as they stand today and are the only surviving Muslim family in entire neighborhood.
Mr. Haroon also informed us that another well known shrine that is located at walking distance from the shrine of Syed Chand Shah wali in Chiwada Vasti was also attacked in riots and at present as there are no Muslims present and continuing the traditional reverence of the holy shrine is looked after by a Hindu Maharashtrian Gaikwad family.
Today the greatest threat to the shrine is not communalism but the land mafia who are trying to gobble every inch of land in Mumbai. For all who believes in peaceful brotherhood of Sufi traditions and those who love history and heritage do not forget to pay your respect to Lal Baugh ka Badshah the shrine of “Lal Shah Baba” after whom the quaint Lal Baugh of Mumbai stands today.
The author Sameer Khan can be contacted on twitter account @Samkhan999
sameerspen 
well done bro allah aap ko salamat rakhe our tamam naik kaam karne ka moka de
I have just spent a wonderful hour gazing at your pictures of the cemetery in Ahmednagar.
When I was a boy my parents lived in Ahmednagar , working at the Booth Hospital of the Salvation Army . Although we were away at boarding school , first at St. Peter’s in Panchgani , and then at Ootacamund in Tamil Nadu .
We came to India in March 1947 , when I was 7 , and was there for Independence Day , when we learned to sing “Jana Gana Mana …. ”
We spent the 3 month Christmas holiday at home ,.where we lived for the last few years of our life in Ahmednagar at # 2 Pottinger Road , a house originally built for military officers , perhaps in the late 1800’s .
I think I recall reading somewhere that there was a British cemetery further up the street from our house , but am not sure if I visited it . But , I think I did when we sneaked there to try smoking bidis ( ?sp ) , which simply made us sick .
We left India in early 1953 to return to Canada , where now I am a retired neurologist , and at almost 76 am keenly interested in the “India ” time of my life .
As an older man I don’t use Twitter or Facebook , but I can perhaps reach you by e-mail .
My e-mail address is leotaurw@rogers.com ., and although I live in Toronto , I have escaped the Canadian winter for a few months to stay at our beach home in Mexico .
Doug Waller
Please send me your emailid or contact no.
myselfsameerkhan@gmail.com and Twitter handle @samkhan999
Bahot khoob mashallah Allah aapko salamat rakhe
Thank You Wasim.