Indians enjoy celebrating Eid free of Covid restrictions


Taniya Dutta
  • English
  • Arabic

Hundreds of millions of Indian Muslims have celebrated Eid Al Fitr in style, following two years of low-key celebrations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Muslims across India offered prayers in mosques and greeted each other in person after the coronavirus pandemic cast a shadow over the religious holiday.

For the past two years, most mosques in the country have been closed as a nationwide ban on all gatherings was in place. Family gatherings and reunions were also prohibited.

But on April 1, as the number of Covid-19 cases dropped and more people were vaccinated, the government relaxed restrictions, allowing public celebrations to be held.

In the capital Delhi, a large number of devotees offered special prayers at Jama Masjid — a 16th century mosque in the heart of the city.

“We are ecstatic today because for the last two years, Eid did not feel like a festival. It was very dull but today, it feels wonderful. There was namaz everywhere. People are meeting each other. We are wearing new clothes,” Rehana Siddique, 24, a resident of Churiwalan, near Jama Masjid in the walled city of Old Delhi, told The National.

Children play after Eid Al Fitr prayers at Jama Masjid, in Delhi. Reuters
Children play after Eid Al Fitr prayers at Jama Masjid, in Delhi. Reuters

“My sister and her children will visit us in the evening. We have made all the special dishes today. There is a sense of exuberance. Everyone is happy. I thank God for this day,” she said.

In the city's Jahangirpur area, where violent communal clashes broke out last month, Hindus and Muslims celebrated the festival together by exchanging sweets and hugs to spread a message of communal harmony.

On Tuesday morning in Lucknow, in Uttar Pradesh, devotees offered namaz at the Eidgah ground and other mosques. The Old City market, meanwhile, was brimming with buyers doing last-minute shopping and feasting on special Eid delicacies.

In Indian-controlled Kashmir, the festival was marred by minor clashes in Anantnag district after authorities disallowed congregation prayers at the Eidgah — the prime Eid ground and the valley’s largest mosque Jamia Masjid in the capital Srinagar — citing law and order issues.

The region has been wracked by a decades-long armed rebellion against New Delhi’s rule, particularly in the Muslim-dominated Himalayan Kashmir valley where anti-India sentiment runs high.

Eid celebrations have been subdued in the region since 2019, when New Delhi stripped the autonomy of the former state, followed by the pandemic.

There was a rise in violence in the valley during Ramadan, with at least 20 militants, two civilians and five police and soldiers killed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his Eid wishes in a tweet and prayed the occasion would enhance “togetherness and brotherhood in our society”.

With more than 200 million Muslims, the South Asian nation has the second-largest Muslim population in the world.

India celebrated the festival a day after it was celebrated in Saudi Arabia.

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UAE squad:

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China

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UAE

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Japan

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Canada

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Singapore

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Australia

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Saudi Arabia

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Teachers' pay - what you need to know

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

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Ain Dubai in numbers

126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure

1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch

16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

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192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.

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La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
 

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Updated: May 03, 2022, 11:10 AM`