Holy day

Mid DAY asks prominent Muslims in the city how they are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr today

As the holy month of Ramadan culminates in Eid, we at MiD DAY take the opportunity to find out from prominent Muslims in the city how they celebrate the festival, what has changed over the years and the customs that have stood the test of time, not to forget the culinary extravaganza that the festival is known for.
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Aslam Gafoor, Chairman, Weber India
I have been doing the month-long fasting before Eid for eight to nine years now. My children also kept a fast for a day in the spirit of the tradition this year. And my wife Michelle, although a Catholic, fasts with me. She makes the shir kurma with dry fruits, mik, vermicelli that's characteristic of the celebrations along with mutton biryani.

The day starts with the customary visit to the mosque in a white sherwani and topi with my son. After greeting everyone, we go home and distribute the shir kurma to ouru00a0 neighbours. Children look forward to receiving Eidis(money given to them by elders on Eid). New clothes are not just bought for the family but also for our household help which fosters a community feeling.u00a0 I give money and clothes to the needy irrespective of which
community they belong to. Eid used to be a lot of fun during my growing up years. There would be a lot of excitement in the house and raging debate among the kids and women over the spotting of the moon. We would be up all night to spot it and in the morning of Eid, my dad and I would fetch about eight litres of milk for the kurma. And all of that made sense as it followed the month of ramdaan which is about self realisation and caring for the have-nots. When you fast, you become one of them. You know what it feels to go without water and how will power can make you do anything. The month of giving ends in a day of
celebration.u00a0u00a0
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Yusuf Arakkal, Artist
I grew up in a Muslim royal family in Kerala. We had this huge celebration. We would celebrate Eid for seven days with guests coming in. But after I left home at the age of 16, I haven't celebrated it as a religious festival. My wife Sara of course is keen to celebrate it and makes the best biryani in town. In fact, people tell me, "We come to your house because of her biryani and not for your art." Media professional Bachi Karkaria is a huge fan of her biryani. So we have a gala lunch on the day of Eid andu00a0 on the 27th day of Ramdaan, we give a portion of our wealth to poor people. On Eid, we also make a Mopla (Muslims in Kerala) dish called Patri, a rice roti on which coconut milk is poured and eaten with chicken curry. Friends come home and we buy new clothes for those working in the art gallery.u00a0
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Waseem Khan, Lensman
I don't fast at all during the month of Ramdaan as I have some health issues, nor do my wife and son. My brother fasts though and we go to an uncle's place in the afternoon for lunch and an aunt's place for dinner. Eid is an occasion to connect with our relatives. I visit the mosque around 9.30 am for the Eid prayer and do Zakath(charity work). Traditionally Muslim families would give away clothes to the needy. Now it's different. We hand out money to them. My mom's particular about everyone wearing new clothes. But I don't give Eidi to my son. These days kids have enough money, they can take us out for an expensive dinner. So the concept has become passe.
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Sadiya Sayeed, Designer
I keep the 30-day fast in the month of Ramadan. Every Muslim is expected to refrain from worldly pleasures. So parties and late nights are out, and charity and good deeds are what we focus on. The fast detoxes your soul and body. I make a special meal for Eid complete with Halem, a broth made of dal, mutton and cooked in a slow simmering flame. The dish has its origins in Hyderabad. Mutton cutlets, sheikh kababs, non-veg samosas and hariyali kebabs are also part of the menu that's prepared over a day or two. My family,u00a0 friends and
workers are part of that feast. My son goes to the mosque after waking up early and having a bath while I pray at home. The prayer is offered to thank God for giving us everything we need. It's a special month where all our prayers are answered by Allah and we come closest to him. The Eidi that we give our children and to those of our close friends gives us boundless happiness. Besides that, we also gift during the festival. And a day before Eid, the women in the house apply Mehendi, it's a custom derived from the Arabic tradition.u00a0
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Abbas, Emcee
We start the day with ghusl, the holy bath using rose water on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr and visit the Eidgah mosque in Richmond Town where 5000 to 6000 Shia Muslims congregate to read namaz for 15 minutes. After that, we wish and hug each other and the kids get Eidi. Then the Fitra is observed where every member of the family gives alms to the poor, depending on their economic status. The extended family gets together at home for a meal that my mom cooks for a few hours. We also have a prayer meeting in the evening called the Maghrib namaz. I have never missed fasting during the month of Ramadan for the last 15 years. And it's not just exercising restrain on food, but also on your words, thoughts and deeds. Reading one line from Quran in this month is said to be equivalent to reading the whole quran at other times. It's the holiest and the purest month in the Islamic calendar as the Quran came into existence this month and hence the Shaitaan is said to be locked up during this period. And the grand culmination happens with Eid, which we celebrate in a big way.