Greeting safely
Muslims exchange Id-ul-Fitr greetings near Macca Masjid in Hyderabad on Friday. Congregational prayers were barred due to Covid-19 norms. ■
THIS YEAR too, with the Covid-19 second wave affecting normal life, there were hardly any Iftar parties, with most people unwilling to take the risk of organising such gatherings.
While celebrating Id-ul-Fitr in a modest way on Friday, after a month-long fasting during Ramzan, several people expressed hope that next year, when the festival comes around, they would be able to celebrate it more freely, and with friends and families.
The tradition of holding Iftar parties is one among the distinguished features of the festival which hit hard last year and this year. Last year, because of the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, there was no question of having these evening gatherings of friends and families, as well as those organised by various political parties.
This year too, with the Covid-19 second wave affecting normal life, there were hardly any Iftar parties, with most people unwilling to take the risk of organising such gatherings.
Afsar Khan, a businessman who before 2020, used to organise an Iftar party for at least a 1,000 people at the Eden-Function Palace for the past 12 years, said, “We used to send invitations to the local mosques, families in our colony, and our friends. Organising an Iftar is considered a blessing, a charity. But last year and now, we could not do so.”
Salik Khan, a resident of Paigah House, Secunderabad, who belongs to the Paigah family, said, “We miss the Iftar parties we used to hold. With Covid protocols in place, we did not host one this year though there was no lockdown as we did not want to be the cause of spreading of this deadly infection, if someone carries it to the gathering. ”Sharunath Misra who lives at Gunfoundry, said, “It was just a few years ago that I began hosting these gatherings as I have many friends in the Muslim community. Last year and this year, there was nothing and I hope that next year will be Coronavirus-free.”
Farisa Nayeem, who follows the footsteps of her grandmother, Sahebzadi Kabirunissa Begum, daughter of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan said, “My grandmother used to hold Iftar parties for all sections of the society. Every year we host at least 10 to 12 Iftaars. With the lockdowns and the pandemic, what we did was we had the food packed in boxes and sent them to our friends and relatives.”