A muted Eid in Lucknow for Covid times

Eid is being celebrated in Lucknow on a mute mood. The City of Nawabs, as it is known, has been known for its lavish Eid celebrations and the vast range of Mughlai dishes that are turned out on the festival.

This year, due to the ongoing lockdown and the Corona scare, mosques wore a barren look. The people fully complied with safety protocols and offered prayers at home.

The old city area that used to buzz with activity in previous years, was completely deserted.

Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, the Imam of Eidgah, said that he was glad that the people had complied with his directives and had not violated lockdown rules.

"Everyone prayed in their homes and called upon Allah to free humanity from Corona virus," he said.

Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad led the community in offering Eid prayers through virtual tools.

Majority of the homes celebrated the festival with vegetarian dishes since meat was unavailable due to the ban on its sale.

Some people, however, managed to get frozen meat from online delivery stores though it was exorbitantly priced.

"We made 'lauki ke kofte', 'hare bhare kebabs', 'paneer korma' and 'kathal biryani'. For dessert, we had 'shahi tukde'," said Shehla Hussain, a well-known figure in the city's social circle who keeps an open house on the festival.

"This year, there will be no guests so we have not planned anything big for the evening. As a token of respect for those who are suffering due to Corona, we have not illuminated our house. Instead, we will be distributing food packets to migrants on the highway," she told on phone.

Children, however, seemed a tad disappointed over the subdued celebrations.

Family members did not allow the to celebrate with music in view of the prevailing situation. "We celebrated Eid on the mute mode," said nine-year-old Rehmat.

( With inputs from IANS )