No large procession, Shias to mark Muharram at home in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Following Delhi Disaster Management Authority’s decision to bar public gatherings during Ganesh Chaturthi and Muharram due to Covid-19, there will be no largescale procession during Muharram.
“This year, the congregation will not be the same as we have to follow the Covid guidelines issued by the government,” said Bahadur Abbas Naqvi, the general secretary of Anjuman-e- Haideri, Karbala in Jorbagh.The Shia community will follow the law “and instead of participating in the procession, people can observe the day at their home”, he added.
“The taziya is symbolic as it signifies the funeral of Imam Hussain in the battle of Karbala 1,300 years ago. It has to reach Karbala of Jorbagh as part of a tradition. According to the guidelines, we will conduct the procession with less than 20 people while maintaining social distancing norms,” Naqvi said.
Several members of the community said the restriction won’t harm the observation of Muharram, which is usually done indoors through storytelling and singing of marsiya (elegy) poetry.
Asad Zaidi, a digital marketing executive who stays in Okhla, said “the objective of Muharram is to spread the message of Imam Hussain through tools like majlis or congregations. We tell people the significance of standing for what it means to stand for rights.” But due to the Covid-19 situation, people must follow the government’s directions and must not congregate, he emphasised. “People can still pray at home and observe the Muharram days.”
Historian Rana Safvi pointed out that people had in the past observed the events of Muharram and made the taziya at home. “We can still do that this year,” she said.
The first month in the Islamic calendar is observed with a lot of sorrow as it marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad. The first 10 days are marked by a procession with horses, which culminates into the 10th day of Ashura.