Moon sighted, Ramzan begins today
LUCKNOW: With the sighting of the moon, city folks eventually geared up for the holy month of Ramzan, which they said would be free from Covid 19 restrictions.
The moon of Ramzan was sighted late Saturday evening. Both Shia and Markazi Chand Committees confirmed sighting of the moon.
“It’s going to be a big relief after a long lull. Thanks to Allah that there will be no restrictions this time during Ramzan, starting from Sunday onwards,” said Bilal Arshad, a young entrepreneur. He said though Ramzan was about fasting, it was also about meeting and greeting near and dear ones.
“I have big plans for the entire month as now we can see our friends without any time bar or any restriction which used to be a regular scene during Ramzan in the past two years,” he added.
A few people said they were thankful to the Almighty as the pandemic was almost over.
“It’s actually hard to forget the last two years of pandemic, when we lost many dear ones. The trend continued during Ramzan. This Ramzan is a big relief,” said Izzat Hussain, a resident of Hussainabad in the
Old City.
Similar enthusiasm was seen at non-vegetarian eateries and famous restaurants known for serving best Mughlai cuisine. The eating joints that suffered a financial dent following restrictions like lockdown, weekend lockdown and night curfew, said they were expecting brisk business this time.
“We are expecting brisk business this time. I think food business also depends upon the mood and happiness index of the people. If people are happy,
they would like to spend more on food. And if they are traumatised, then there won’t be any excitement about food or clothing. We are all set this time,” said Mohammed Usman, the owner of Tunday Kababi— the restaurant that was established by his grandfather in 1905.
Other eateries at Akhbari Gate, Nakkhas, Chowk and Nazeerabad, often referred to as the foodies’ paradise, are decked up well to greet Ramzan in a big way.
After a break of two years due to the pandemic, the Hussainabad and Allied Trust (HAT) is all set to resume its 183year-old tradition of distributing ‘iftaar’ among 1,350 ‘rozedaars’ during the month of Ramzan.
‘Iftaar’ is the meal taken by Muslims at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramzan and ‘rozedaars’ are the people who fast. “We are ready to resume the ‘iftaar’,” said KP Singh, additional district magistrate (ADM-East) and secretary of HAT. HAT officials said as a part of the tradition, which is as old as the trust (the trust was formed in 1839), HAT used to distribute ‘iftaar’ among 1,350 ‘rozedaars’ in 13 mosques.
Officials said that Muhammad Ali Shah, the third king of Awadh, formed the trust in 1839 at the cost of Rs 12 lakh to carry out religious practices on the occasions like Muharram and Ramzan. “Since then, the trust has never failed to do things for which it was formed -- be it distribution of ‘tabarrukh’(sacred offering) among royal families during Muharram or distribution of ‘iftaar’ among rozedaars,” said Habibul Hasan, a senior official of HAT.