As the last ten days of Ramzan are coming to an end we see
these days becoming associated with Eid shopping and festivity rather than the
last Ashra, or about finding the odd nights to benefit from “Lailatul Qadar.”
Illuminations are put up in markets, families are out shopping and finding
bargains, make shift stalls selling bangles and henna are everywhere, unending
arguments with tailors are the norm, and there is an excitement for the end of
the ramzan in the air!
And then comes “chand raat” the evening of the sighting of
the moon! Elders in the family try to maintain the traditional methods of
celebrating ways of old times, preparing “sawaiyan (vermicelli’s),” “sheer
khurma (vermicelli sweet dish),” and making sure to add “chuare (dried dates)”
in these dishes no matter what other dry fruits, raisins and all go in it!
However during this time of joy and celebration we tend to
forget the less privileged around us; and that is where the division in society
starts.
Not lagging behind I also went shopping; but while at it,
the journalist in me came to the fore and I spoke to people in the market
asking their views on Eid . Most said that Eid is the time to celebrate and
thank Allah for the passing of Ramzan; thanks for being able to fast throughout
the month despite the scorching heat. Many said that the people who really
deserve praise are those who worked on making and repairing, or cleaning roads
during the month.
One lady excitedly said her children were fasting for the
first time this ramzan, so this Eid was more memorable for them; he was happy
to see them grow up and are understanding the basics of Islam.
There were kids buying new clothes and presents for friends.
A girl was having henna applied on her hands she said her Eid clothes are ready
and she would be getting bangles after having the henna applied, she confided
that her mother was at home preparing food for eid , and she getting ready for
Eid . A man tagging along his family said, Eid is the time when we all come out
together and go for shopping. He could give time to his wife and children
otherwise people are so busy earning and taking care of routine things that one
hardly get time to sit together and talk even. Teenagers were in a total
celebratory mood, ogling, just standing about watching, and having the post
iftari gool gappas to change the taste of iftar!
One teenager was happy to confide that he was very happy as
this ramzan as he had done iftari with people on the road. He went with groups
who had arranged iftaris and he worked with them in distributing this on the
road side or in an organized dastarkhawan; he was excited that he looked forward
to doing this next year.
And of course what is Eid without beggars? Although they can
be seen the whole year round, however on Eid they can be seen everywhere. Maybe
they can not be blamed for begging to supplement their limited resources as
even this hardly gets them anywhere. A beggar woman carrying her baby in arms
said, there is hardly anything to eat for us, and people think we are
professional beggars. If we were professionals we would have earned enough
throughout the year and today we would have been celebrating Chand raat with
you.
Another poor woman said they never got new clothes made like
people even on Eid , she ruefully looked at the lady shoppers in brightly lit
dress stores bargaining for designer and other dresses costing thousands; with
downcast eyes she said they wear hand me downs the whole year; the food we eat
on Eid is the same that we eat every day of the year, which is nothing like the
lavish food people serve their guests in their dining rooms.
A women with three children of different ages clinging to
her, all three tired and sleepy after a day of tagging behind the mother for a
pittance, said going from door to door asking for Eidi was a real turn down and
people always turn us away by literally throwing Rupees 5 to 50 at us and
scornfully saying go find some work! She asked me if I knew how expensive
things were these days?
What made me stop this line of so research into Eid shopping
for me was the comment of a young girl begging for a samosa from the stall and
being sent away’ Do we not have any right to even have get a samosa in charity?
Celebrating Eid is a far cry for the likes of us!
This article has been published in The Nation on 17 July 2015
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