Muslims to celebrate quiet Eid today

Ranchi: With the sighting of moon on Sunday, Jharkhand and the rest of the country will be celebrating Eid on Monday, albeit in an entirely different manner this time, courtesy Covid-19.

In Ranchi, the virus has disrupted the normal way of life and the rituals of Eid this year will have to be performed at home.

For the first time in decades, the all-night Chaand Bazaar on Ranchi’s Main Road beside Hindpiri, a containment zone, will not be set up. Both administration and socio-religious bodies like Edara-e-Sharia have asked people to stay indoors for the Eid namaaz to stop the spread of Covid-19.

While many still remain stranded miles away from home, joy and positivity echoed in the hearts of the ones who were able to reach home before the festivity. Stuck in Chennai, Abdul Hamid, a resident of Godda who managed to get a seat on a special train en route to Dhanbad is among the few lucky ones who will be able to reach home just in time for Eid with family members or at least in their hometown if they are kept at quarantine centres.

Taking to Twitter, Hamid shared his story of finally boarding a train on Saturday and wrote, “After two months of being locked down at home, I have finally set off for my home state and I am on the train. I am indebted to all the people who have put in efforts to rescue me and I pray that god keeps them safe and stands by them in every noble cause.”

On Sunday, a handful of markets opened, including shops at Kantatoli, Doranda and Karbala Chowk, but the crowd was largely thin throughout the day. Even the traditional bakery and sewai businesses have taken a hit and there wont be fancy bakarkhanis and kesar sewai on the platters of Ranchiites.

“There is a shortage of labour and supply of materials and prices too have shot up. The Hindpiri market used to be a hotspot for both buyers and sellers and varieties like the colourful sewai, kesar sewai and ghee sewai were missing throughout Ramzaan. Even the price of branded sewai packets have shot up by Rs 30-40 per kilogram,” said Mushtaque, a Kantatoli-based vendor who also has a manufacturing unit of sewai and sweet buns.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.