For the 977^th consecutive year, Lahore’s Data Darbar recently became the venue for the annual Urs of Hazrat Ali bin Usman Al-Hajveri, popularly known as Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh. The festivities of the Urs, which are traditionally spread over three days, saw the now-familiar sights of devotees, many of whom had travelled long distances to participate in the proceedings, lighting clay lamps and agarbattis and sprinkling rose petals over the grave of the late sufi, amid dhol beats and people breaking into dhamal (trance dance). The whole place had been illuminated with colourful lightbulbs. Besides, of course, there was langar (free food) for the poor and needy.