2.5 lakh Dawoodi Bohras' arrival boosts business in Surat

SURAT: The presence of the religious leader of Dawoodi Bohra community in the city for delivering the holy sermon has given a boost to trade and business during the festive season in Surat. This is because over 2.5 lakh Dawoodi Bohras from across the country and abroad have descended on the city to attend the 'vaiz' (religious sermon) to be delivered for nine continuous days by 53rd Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin.
All five-star hotels, guest houses, lodges, private apartments and bungalows are booked till November 4 in the city.
South Gujarat Hotels and Restaurants Association (SHARA) vice-president Sanat Relia told TOI, "It is a glittering Diwali for us. All the hotel rooms in the city were pre-booked 15 days ahead of the Diwali festival, mostly by Dawoodi Bohras from across the city and abroad. There are over 2,400 rooms in the city's hospitality industry. All the rooms are booked till November 4."
Dawoodi Bohra community sources said Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin sahib arrived in the city on October 19. The nine- day long religious sermon on the occasion of Muharram began on Saturday and will go on till November 4.
"Around 2.5 lakh Dawoodi Bohras have arrived in the city. We expect more than 30,000 members to arrive in the city from abroad," said Yusuf Badri, a leader of Dawoodi Bohra community.
The restaurant business too has picked up as Dawoodi Bohras venture out in the city to devour the typical Gujarati dishes and non-vegetarian varieties being offered in the restaurants.
SHARA president Arun Shetty said, "Around 40 per cent of residents in the city have gone out on Diwali vacation. But the hotel and hospitality sector is still buzzing with activity due to the arrival of tens of thousands of Dawoodi Bohras in the city."