Mumbai: Prayers, outings and feasts dot Eid celebrations

After Farhan Ansari neatly parted his hair and set the collar of his new kurta right, his friend took a pic of him with the Western Railway office in the background. The duo went around different tourist places in Mumbai to celebrate Eid.

“We first went to Crawford Market and will now head to Regal then to Gateway of India,” said Farhan. Like many others, Farhan's day started with Eid 'namaz' and then greeting friends and family members.

This time, most mosques had kept early morning prayers to avoid the summer heat. “Post 'namaz', I went to the graveyard to pray for the departed souls of my near and dear ones,” said Imran Mulla, who had come shopping with his wife at Crawford Market.

Given the prospect of brisk business, Shahid Khan, who owns a shop near Crawford Market, didn't take off. “Saturday is a business day and there were good sales. On Sunday, most things will be shut and there will be less crowd,” said Khan who planned to take off today.

The highlight of the festival are the grand feasts, including kheer, sewai, sheer korma and biryani. “We normally visit our family or invite them. This time we decided to have food at home and have dinner somewhere out,” said Sohail Khan who had come shopping after having a hearty meal with his family.

As Eid has a custom of giving 'Eidi' (monetary gift) to young ones, Khan gave the sum to his children so they can buy dresses of their choice.