Eid’s festive fervour grips Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated with fervour across the city on Wednesday as Muslims offered prayers at eidgahs and mosques in large numbers and greeted each other, with people from other faiths joining in.
The festival marks the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal and the end of the holy month of Ramzan. Prayers were organised at Mecca Masjid and eidgahs at Madannapet, Balamrai, Mir Alam and Qutb Shahi.
The biggest Eid prayers site, Eidgah Mir Alam in Bahadurpura near Nehru Zoological Park, saw the convergence of over one lakh devout. The prayers were led by Maulana Hafeez Rizwan Qureshi.
People from different communities visited the houses of their friends to enjoy the spirit of the festival.
“Every year, we celebrate the festival not just with our community members, but also friends who follow other religions. We usually have them over for lunch or dinner,” said Riaz Khan, a resident of Puranapul. Among those who attended prayers at the Eidgah Mir Alam were AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar, TS Waqf Board chairman Mohammed Saleem, Hyderabad deputy mayor Baba Fasiuddin and other officials of the Minorities Welfare Department. Security arrangements at eidgah Mir Alam were supervised by deputy commissioner of police Amber Kishore Jah. Police had put in place traffic restrictions on Saturday morning to manage vehicular movement to and from eidgahs.
Following special prayers in the morning, people bonded with relatives and friends while distributing ‘sheer khurma’, a dish specially served on Eid. “After a month of fasting and prayers during Ramzan, it's time to celebrate with a feast and share it with all. We teach in our religion to care for the poor and orphans during festivals. On this day, we distribute sheer khurma, biryani and other delicacies to people who cannot afford to make it themselves. We just want everyone to be happy,” said Mohammad Pasha, a resident of Hussaini Alam. Shopping and eating out in Old City continued well past midnight even as people from across the state thronged Charminar to soak in the festive spirit.