Thousands of Kashmiris, who are admitted in quarantined centres, regret not being at home to celebrate Eid with family and friends.
From prayers to multi-course feasts, they are missing everything about the festival.
“We used to hold a grand celebration on Eid at home, but this time we are away and missing everyone desperately. This is our bad luck,” said a 30-year-old Uri resident admitted in JNV Shahkote quarantine centre in north Kashmir’s Boniyar tehsil.
Another Baramulla resident, who has been in institutional isolation since May 10, misses the homemade wazwan. “Every year, we used to prepare a multi-course meal on Eid, but this time I couldn’t relish it. I wish to go home soon,” he said.
A 25-year-old Kashmiri student pursuing education from Chandigarh, who is quarantined at a private hotel in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk area, criticised the administration’s callous approach towards them. “Nothing was done to make this Eid special for us. It was the routine menu and we were given only vegetables to eat,” he said.
“I video called my folks to know how they were celebrating Eid. They were not enjoying the occasion without me,” said another student from a quarantine centre in South Kashmir’s Pulwama, who was evacuated from Gurugram recently.
{{/usCountry}}“I video called my folks to know how they were celebrating Eid. They were not enjoying the occasion without me,” said another student from a quarantine centre in South Kashmir’s Pulwama, who was evacuated from Gurugram recently.
{{/usCountry}}The valley wore a deserted look on Sunday, with fewer shoppers in the markets in the morning hours. Kashmir Chamber of Commerce Federation and Industries had said on Saturday that they faced losses worth crores of rupees due to the lockdown ahead of Eid.
However, doctors and health workers remained on duty on Sunday. “Our full staff was on the job. The health of our people matters to us the most,” said Sameer Mattoo, Kashmir health services director.
“We gave them better food today so they would feel as if celebrating Eid at home,” said Zahoor Ahmad Beigh, a paramedic posted at Boniyar primary health centre in Baramulla.
Eid is being observed across Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala on Sunday, while the rest of the country will celebrate it on Monday.
As per reports, no Eid prayers were offered in major mosques and shrines of Kashmir. However, prayers were offered in far-off villages while maintaining social distancing. In the cities, people preferred to offer prayers indoors.
At present, over 50,000 people are under surveillance in over 10,000 government established quarantine centres in the valley.
An official from the Kashmir administration said on the condition of anonymity, “The number of patients admitted to quarantine centres was so high that it was not possible to give them special treatment on Eid.”
Last year, Eid-ul-Azha prayers were not offered in Kashmir due to the curfew followed by the abrogation of Article 370. This Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of fasting month of Ramadan.