‘Eid-ul-Fitr is a spiritual reward for a month of prayer and fasting’

Actor Rezwan Rabbani Sheikh and his family eagerly wait for Eid-ul-Fitr every year. “This occasion is a spiritual reward for a month of prayer, fasting, and devotion. It is a time to ask Allah for forgiveness and to thank Him for His blessings,” he said. Rezwan and his family keep fasts and obey all Ramadan rituals as they believe that this will help them reap more joy from the festival. Talking about how he starts his day on Eid, he said: “I always visit the graveyard on Eid to pay my respects to my elders. I take their blessings, and then offer prayers to Allah.

Nowadays, throughout the year we shop for something or the other but still buying new clothes for me and my family and friends for Eid has its own charm. This year I went with my mother to shop for our family and relatives. But on this day, it is only about wearing new ethnic clothes.

I remember during childhood collecting Eidi (gifts) from elders used to be fun but now the scenario has reversed where I need to offer Eidi to my young cousins. My younger brother is in Mumbai as he works there but he made sure that his Eidi and new clothes reach him on time. But my father (SK Golam Rabbani) still gives me Eidi. I look forward to it no matter how much I earn – it’s a blessing.

My mother (Rehana Begum) is a fantastic cook. On Eid, she wakes up early in the morning and starts cooking without anyone’s help and she takes pride in hosting all of us for lunch on this auspicious day. She cooks four to five different varieties of only sewai, of which sheer khurma is my favorite along with mini lachha sewai payesh. Added to that, different kinds of kebab, biryani, paratha, firni, dahi vada are also part of the lavish menu. Our friends and relatives come over to our place for lunch and at night we have a dawat planned at our uncle’s house- it is a family ritual.

“My mother takes pride in cooking Eid lunch for us all. She makes four to five varieties of sewai, out of which sheer khurma is my absolute favourite” said Rezwan