Aly Goni
“I will be celebrating Eid with my family. Last year, I was alone in Mumbai because of the lockdown. And, looking at the current situation and the lockdown in Mumbai, I feel it's better for everyone to stay where they are and I am lucky that I am with my family during this festive time. On Eid, we won't be going out to wish family and friends. Right now, the priority is our health and the well-being of our near and dear ones. I remember as a kid, I would get really excited to get Eidi from the elders in my family. In fact, I used to take all my sister's money too. During Eid, we eagerly wait for mutton korma made by mom. It tastes amazing especially on this day. She adds her magical touch and some secret ingredients too.”
Aamir Ali
“I am not going to celebrate Eid in a big way. I'm going to be at home and pray with my family. I request everybody to pray from home because you can't put your loved ones and yourself at risk. We won’t be visiting friends over either. Eid has always been a time when I made a lot of money as I used to get Eidi. After our prayers, we would have a gala time — my mom makes the world’s best sheer korma. The plan for this Eid is: Ibaadat, being thankful to Allah and staying at home. No shor sharaba. But it’s nothing new; we have always kept Eid and other festivals low-key.”
Shama Sikander
“I am in no mood to celebrate because of the pandemic. So many of my friends are in hospital and some have lost close ones too. So, my Eid is going to be simple: Share a meal and say thanks to God. Covid is not going to stay forever. We have to keep ourselves healthy and alive, so we can fight it and we can see the good times again. I am not into big parties, I absorb people's energy and I feel too much so I like to be with a select few. As a child, Eidi seemed like something you have earned and feel proud about. With the Eidi money, you buy chocolates and fulfil the little needs one has as a child. I used to receive Eidi, but now I give Eidi and receive the love and smiles of the kids in my family, and it’s heartening to see their excitement. My family has amazing cooks. Nobody can match my mom when it comes to making sheer korma – she makes the best sheer korma I have ever eaten till date for sure.”
Iqbal Khan
“This year, we will pray from home instead of going to the mosque. My wife will make sheer korma and we will express gratitude to Allah for giving us a roof on our heads, three meals to eat and are in a better position than some others. We were never high on Eid parties or get-togethers. Instead, my amma, my wife and I would go out for a meal at a restaurant. During my childhood, when I was in Kashmir, my friends and I would accumulate the Eidis our dads gave us, pool in the money and head out to Nehru Park, Dal lake in a shikara. There, we would relish ice-cream. We would swim back home from Dal lake and a big nice meal would be waiting for us. Later, I would accompany my dad to do our share of charity.”
Rakshanda Khan
“Safety is of utmost importance, celebrations can wait. We should just consider ourselves blessed if everyone in our family is hale and hearty. This year, the celebrations will be scaled down, but the feeling of offering thanks will still be the same. For my family, Eid was never about parties. First thing in the morning, I wish my parents, gobble down at least three bowls of sheer korma and, in the evening, head to my nani's house. My mom makes an incredible sheer korma. I save it for three-four days in the fridge and savour it in small helpings every morning. She also makes the best biryani in the world. Sadly, I have not learnt to cook all these yummy delicacies from her. My memories of Eid are all about joining my cousins and landing up at unsuspecting relatives' homes to collect Eidi and constantly it to see who had collected the most. And I have lovely memories of going to the special food streets that popped up during Ramzan, revelling in the wonderful aromas of a zillion specialties, going crazy trying to figure out if I wanted to buy the lovely maroon jalebis, bigger than my entire hand or the dripping hot chaashni ones, the soft fluffy sweet rice cakes with frosting on them, and convince mom to buy sandals for me. And, of course, post Iftaar we used to spend hours scouring the market for new Eid clothes with matching glittering bangles, jewellery and shoes.”
Aasif Sheikh
“Like last year, Eid will be subdued. People are going through so much pain, hence we are not in the mood to celebrate. We will read namaaz at home and make sheer korma; make phone calls to friends and greet them. Instead of spending money on new clothes and sweets, we will give it to the less fortunate. Two years ago, we would wake up early in the morning, have bath and go to the mosque to read namaz. Later, we would come home and eat sheer korma, and friends would stream in. There would be extended lunches and dinners. During our childhood, our father would take my two sisters and me to the Eidgah which was about 8 kms from our house. We would wear new clothes in the morning, so I would keep my clothes next to my bedside. My father would come home with toys for us, and my mother would cook sheer korma, Yakhni pulao, pakwans and kebabs. We used to have 30 to 35 people come home and there would be merry-making and laughter. But this time, I request people to give money to those who are less fortunate instead. But of late, there is no happiness in our hearts. I request all the Muslims to celebrate Eid in a subdued way. It’s better to stay at home and stay safe, Eid will come next year too. Zindagi rahi toh inshallah, we will celebrate next year.”
Zara Khan
pic: Yusuf Afzal Khan
“Festivals mean spending time with family and loved ones. I’m home with mine and I’m safe — so I guess a nice lunch at home after wearing a pretty dress won’t interfere with the lockdown. Celebration at this point of time doesn’t feel right. I just hope next year is different in a good way. But honestly, I can’t reconcile with the idea of no celebration. I miss all the different styles of biryanis, sheer kormas and kebabs. I get nostalgic about the cold hard cash of Eidi that I got as a kid and indulging in my nana’s Kabuli Pulao with cashew nuts and raisins — an Iranian recipe passed down from his ancestors who were from Iran.”
Sana Saeed
“I am in Los Angeles so I am far away from home. It will be a virtual Eid — I will video call my family and join the celebration in my own little way. My family back home also won’t be visiting each other. Life is precious, it’s best that we all stay safe at home and look out for each other. My favourite childhood memory of Eid is the aroma of sheer korma wafting from the kitchen at 6 am, because my mom would get up early to cook it. I loved it so much that I had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
