Covid effect: No Eid namaz at Gandhi Maidan or any Eidgah

PATNA: Eid in this pandemic will no more be a gala celebration full of fun, feast and embracing one another. For the second consecutive year, there will be no Eid namaz at Gandhi Maidan or any Eidgah in the state capital. Clerics and scholars have also made an appeal to people to follow the Covid guidelines on Eid and carry out the rituals at home.
Eid will be celebrated either on Thursday or Friday in India, depending on the sighting of the moon.However, namaaz will not be held in congregation in open public places. Qazi Mansoor Alam of Patna-based Imarat Sharia on Monday appealed to people to prefer Namaze-Eid at home and follow guidelines issued by the government in this regard.
Eidan committee president Mahmood Alam said like previous year, this year, too, Eid namaz will not be held at Gandhi Maidan. “Eid namaz has had been organised at Gandhi Maidan since 1925. But we are not organizing such congregation keeping in mind the guidelines issued for Covid-19 and safety of people,” said Mahmood, adding, “No doubt people will miss offering Eid namaz at Gandhi Maidan because that place has a different aura and even chief minister Nitish Kumar used to be present and greet people there. But we advise everyone to follow the government guidelines.”
Apart from missing namaz in congregation, this year Eid celebration will be a low-key affair. Dariyapur resident Sofiya Anwar said the last week of Ramzan used to be hectic because apart from fasting, she used to be busy changing her home décor and shopping for Eid.
“A night before Eid, called as chaand raat, we used to start the basic cooking as food was prepared for a large number of people, including friends, relatives and neighbours. This year, I will be cooking only for my family members,” Sofiya said, as she will neither visit any friend or relative this year nor will anyone visit her. “I will chat with my loved ones through video call,” she said.
Raja Bazar resident Hasrat Imam said how can there be fun when so many people are suffering at the moment. “Throughout Ramzan, we prayed for everyone suffering from Covid-19. Hope this phase gets over,” said Hasrat.