US scholars feel blessed to celebrate Eid in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: For Isa Weaver, opening his roza after hearing the Maghreb azaan was the most fascinating part this Ramzan.
US-based Isa is a part of a group of 50 American students studying Urdu at an institute in Lucknow. For these students, both Muslims and Non-Muslims, celebrating the holy month in India for the first time was a fascinating experience.On Thursday, a roza iftaar and a qawwali programme organized by the Institute added a different flavor to it.
“I have been fasting since the age of five years. In the US, I opened my fast by looking at the watch but never had I experienced the spirit of Ramzan as I did in Lucknow where one hears the azaan for several minutes,” says Isa, a student at Morgan State University.
Despite unfavourable weather it was the communal harmony and the respect people of every faith have for rozedars which made it very easy for him to go without food and water, he adds.
While Isa has bought a Lakhnawi kurta pajama for Eid, which he will be celebrating in Mumbai, Nida Syed, a graduate from University of Buffalo has plans with her mezban khandan or (host family) with whom she is stating in Lucknow.
All excited to apply mehndi and wear multicolored bangles she has bought from Chowk, Nida says, “The culture of open invites for iftaar is unique unlike US where not even close friends and relatives visit each other without a formal invite. I feel blessed to be a part of a culture with the spirit of sharing.”
Having developed a strong liking for Lucknow food, Nida has joined a cookery class and will be helping her host family prepare boti kebabs, nahari kulche and sewain.
For Rabia Mirza, a student of Georgetown University in the US, Lucknow has a special place.
“Besides getting a chance to learn Urdu in Lucknow, this land has greater importance for me as my mother hails from Bada Gaon, a place just a few miles from the city. I want to visit Bada Gaon and click pictures of the house where my mother was born. This will be my gift for her,” she says.
Though mesmerized with the magnificent mosques in Lucknow, Rabia says she didn’t understand why women here did not perform taraweeh in mosques.
Isaac Mirza, who has recently embraced Islam, says, “Unlike the US, in India, everyone participates in sehri and iftaar in some way during Ramzan and iftaar parties have some mouthwatering dishes.”
He said he felt the chosen one as the almighty had given him a chance to celebrate Eid in Lucknow.