VISAKHAPATNAM: Eid-ul-Adha or Bakrid, the festival of sacrifice, was celebrated amid much camaraderie in the city Monday. Lending a foreign touch to the festivities, students from Afghanistan studying at various institutes of the city also took part in the festival, sharing their experience of celebrating the special day with friends on foreign soil.
While they do agree that it is never like it is at home, they expressed their happiness at being able to spend the day at Port City, along with other people of their community.
Abdul Rasheed Esmat, a final year BCA student of Andhra University, says, “Obviously, the flavour of Eid is best realised when celebrated with family. This is my fourth Eid in India and people here are very friendly. They share their joy with us and make us feel at home.”
At the same time he credits his own good experience of the festival and lesser home-sickness to the bunch of good friends he has made during his stay in Port City for the last two-and-a-half years.
Recalling the Eid celebrations in Afghanistan, Abidulla, a law student of AU, said: “Back home, Eid celebrations involve games like Horse riding which is the national game of Afghanistan, wrestling, cockfights and kite flying which are a visual treat.”
All the students, nearly 70 of them, join at a common point and celebrate by digging into traditional Afghan delicacies like Qhabili Pulao, Kabab of various kinds, sweets and special Afghan tea.
Meanwhile, the city was enveloped in Eid fervour as a large number of Muslims gathered at masjids and eidgah grounds early Sunday to observe special prayers to mark the occasion.
At an Eidgah, Abdus Salaam, a noted priest in the city, urged Muslims to follow the message of the Quran by upholding the values of universal brotherhood. The day, which marks the willingness to sacrifice for God, saw devotees wishing each other after prayers, followed by sacrificing goats and sheep, and distributing the meat among relatives and the poor.