Faithful limit Eid to homes; avoid gatherings, prayer meets

CHENNAI: Due to the lockdown brought about by the raging second wave of the pandemic and the government’s instruction asking the community to celebrate the festival without public gathering, the Muslim community in the city celebrated Eid on Friday without prayer gatherings and community feasts.

“Usually, we would wait for the festival to celebrate with family, prayers and food. Our family is quite big, and Eid is the only day we come together as a family and celebrate. Last year, the Ramzan month was quiet and we could not celebrate much. This time we were hoping to celebrate together. But realising the situation, we sent our greetings through phone and video calls to follow the protocols and avoid gathering,” said Mohammed Adil, a resident of Maduravoyal.

“Apart from the usual festivities, we also used to spend some quality time and enjoy cooking together, which was also missed this time. Instead, we offered special prayers for a quick recovery of those who are suffering due to the virus,” added Adil.

During this time usually, mosques used to be packed when they break the fast and recite the Quran. This time, most families in the city offered prayers at their house itself, and only a few visited the nearby mosques to offer prayers by following COVID protocols. Most people from the community chose virtual space due to the second COVID wave.

“Unlike last year, this time we went to the mosque in our locality to offer prayer. Though we couldn’t visit any relatives’ places, we tried meeting virtually to read Quran together. We missed the nombu kanji prepared by my grandmother. Even though we met through video call, we missed in-person celebration,” said SA Ashfaq Ahamed, a college student residing in Tiruvottiyur.