After a holy month of fasting and worship, Eid-ul-Fitr has come as an ultimate award for the faithful who go hungry from sunup to sundown in line with God’s command. So, the celebration is in order. Over the last few days, a familiar scene played out in the Valley: Srinagar roads were choked by traffic jams and an unprecedented rush of shoppers, busy buying mutton, chicken, bakery and new clothes. The shopping has brought cheer to the faces of the business community, who have been witnessing a prolonged slowdown in business. An unending stream of consumers has pushed up the sales. Despite the turmoil of the past more than three decades, the markets in Kashmir have never been robbed of the sheen during Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha celebrations.
Such festivity is an integral part of the day. On this day, whatever our individual circumstances, joy is guaranteed. This is not the joy in the routine sense but one which is spiritually uplifting and exhilarating. It is the one that comes from a sense of accomplishment of one’s religious obligation and the anticipation of God’s forgiveness.
But while Eid is about spiritual fulfilment and the awakening, it is also about our obligation towards our society. More so, in Kashmir where we not only inherit the tragic fallout of the turmoil over the past three decades but also continue to live this reality, with thousands among us who have lost so much.
Now when Eid is upon us and God is showering His faithful with his blessings, we can hardly afford to be forgetful in our joy. We shouldn’t give way to an unbridled consumerism that was on display in an all-out shopping binge across the Valley. We cannot be bereft of the concern for the poor and the people who have suffered the most. It is incumbent upon us as a community that while we celebrate Eid we also remember them and contribute in a material way to lessen their misery.
That said, more than an occasion of joy, Eid in Kashmir is a time for reflection. And of mourning too, for the thousands who have died in recent decades. The festival is about spiritual renewal and a sense of fulfilment. It is a very solemn occasion for individual and collective reflection and remembrance. It is also about our obligation towards our society.
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