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THE GR8! MAG 10TH ANNIVERSARY PHOTOSHOOT
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Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak!

With the mesmerizing fragrance of the yummy Biryani and Sheer Khurma comes the festival of Ramzan Eid. After a month of diligently fasting comes this day when get together is a must and Eidi is a treat. Telly actors tell us of how they rejoice this day…

Sadia Siddiqui:
“We wake up early as we have to pray at seven in the morning after which we wear new clothes and meet our friends and relatives. We prepare some rich oily food and give Eidi to everyone who’s younger than me. Sheer Khurma is my favorite dish besides which we prepare biryani, khichda, at times even korma or naan. For me every Eid is special and Ramzan Eid is all the more special because we fast for a month before that. Ramzan jitni achchi guzre, utni hi achchi Eid hoti hai. This is because during those days of fast, you grow spiritually; at times when I am travelling and I am unable to fast, itna mazaa nahi aata. Eid is basically a celebration of fasting for a month and usi ke baad khushiyaan manayi jaati hain. As a kid, I used to get Eidi and that would be the highlight. Now that I have grown up, safaai bhi karni padti hai, khaana bhi banana padta hai. Since my brothers are younger to me, I like giving them Eidi and I also give some money to the kids in my building. Until and unless one is ill, pregnant or feeding, it is essential that they fast. It is also necessary to read Quran. When I have hectic schedules, it becomes tough for me to shoot as I suffer from headache. But at the same time I also feel that simply fasting and not praying does not make sense. It requires one to keep quiet and maintain silence as you don’t have the energy to do bakwaas. When I have a continuous schedule of five days, I fast for the first two days and make sure to compensate the remaining days by fasting even after Ramzan.”

Ali Merchant:
“I wear a Pathani on Eid, get up early and follow all the rituals. It’s a day to meet, greet and eat with all your relatives and since I am the youngest in my family, I make a lot of demands. I eat lots of sweets on that day and sevaiyyan is my most favorite dish. As a kid, I would go to mosque with my dad and grandpa and I really miss those days. All my Eids before I turned eighteen have been memorable and I would get paid Rs. 100, which later increased to 200 and then 500. My dad would actually bribe me so that I fast. If I am doing a day sequence, it really gets hectic for me to fast and so I ensure that I start the shoot only sometime in the afternoon around one or two p.m.” 

Iqbal Khan:
“We do namaaz in the morning and before heading home we do some charity (Zakat al-Fitr) and after that we celebrate the festival. As for the special dishes made on the day, we believe in sticking to the basics and thus sheer khurma and biryani is prepared on the day. I simply love sheer khurma. The best thing about Eid is Eidi and those memories as a kid are still reminiscent. We used to take a ride in Shikara (a type of boat) and that was some real fun.”

Gauhar Khan:
“We pray and we wear new clothes, there are guests visiting us and we too go places. Since this Eid comes after a month of fasting, it’s all the more enjoyable. A variety of sumptuous foodstuffs like Biryani and sheer-khurma are made and sheer-khurma is my favorite dish. As kids we used to get Eidi and I had an orange purse in which I used to keep all my money. Even though we would get two-three hundred bucks, it would still seem as billions and we would start planning as to what we will do of it. Eid becomes all the more special when my entire family is together. As my brothers and sisters are married and Nigaar and I are always working, the family time is the most cherished time.”

Nausheen Ali Sardar:
“Eid is always a time with family and relatives and Ramzan Eid becomes all the more special because we fast for a month. I don’t really celebrate Bakri Eid much as we don’t like sacrificing goat. We just celebrate it by making Biryani and distribute it to the disabled ones. As it is time for feast in the evening we have lots of bhajiyas and pakodas, malpuas, phirni and fruits. I am not a chicken biryani person and love only sea food. Thus I can have fish biryani. My most favorite dish is sevaiyyan. I recall the childhood days when we would get Eidi. Even if it was just Rs. 20-50, it really meant a lot as it would add to our pocket money. We would buy new clothes and was really special as a kid. Though now we can get anything we want on our own, but getting it from our parents was really special. My brother stays in Doha and sister in Dubai but last year they had come to India and thus it was a real special eve.”

Aalesha Khan:
“Ever since I have started staying in Mumbai, I go to Bangalore to celebrate Id as my parents stay there. We purchase new clothes, meet relatives, have biryani and sweets. There are at least five varieties of sweets, which include Gaajar Ka Halwa, Muzzafar (prepared with rice, milk and khoyaa), Gulab jamun, chane ka halwa and sheer khurma. I like sheer khurma and gulab jamun a lot. I remember jab main school mein thi tab hum namaaz padh kar jaldi jaldi relatives ke paas Eidi milne ke laalach se chale jaate the. There used to be a competition among all of us as to who would collect the maximum amount. Every Eid that I have celebrated with my parents is memorable for me. Since I don’t have many Muslim friends here, I make sure that I visit my parents in Bangalore and I will do the same this time too.”

- Garvita Sharma