Adil Najam
This Friday was Juma-tul-Vida (the last Friday in Ramzan), Diwali celebrations are taking place as I write this, and Eid-ul-Fitr is likely to be on Monday (plus or minus a day or so).
These are auspicious and spiritually significant days. By way of conveying our choicest greetings to our readers on these occasions, we wanted to share these two wonderful photogrpahs with you.
The first photograph is of a Diwali lamp being lit in Krishna Mandir in Saddar, Rawalpindi (here; Update: pictures of Diwali Dandia in Karachi here). Similar celebrations are also happening elsewhere in Pakistan (here), as across the world. I remember the first Diwali celebration I ever attended was in the Temple in Lalkurti, Rawalpindi. Later, I attended Diwali celebrations in Karachi and near Tando Allah Yar in Sindh. As someone who takes the promise imbedded in the white part of Pakistan’s flag as being absolutely sacred I am very happy to write today about this joyous festival rather than the more worrisome developments we have written about before (here and here).
The second is of Juma-tul-Vida prayers at the historic Wazir Khan mosque in the heart of old Lahore. Like Fawad Zakariya (here), I too like this mosque immensely: for its architecture, for its presence as an oasis in the middle of purana Lahore, and for the spiritual sense one feels in it. The Badshahi mosque also has an overpowering sense of spirituality – as do so many places of worship – but I have been particularly fond of this mosque; moreover, I think this photograph does justice to the structure as well as to the occasion.
Happy Diwali and Eid to yu all.
Happy Diwali and Happy Eid to everybody. The two festivals are occuring very close to each other and that is a happy coincidence. May these festivals bring happiness, prosperity and peace to all.
Happy Diwali & Happy Eid to all of our Hindu and Muslim brothers and sisters respectively.
Dont forget to give mithai to your Hindu friends and Eidee (Cash) to your younger muslim friends, relatives, kids.
I am reproducing the full post by Rama at Cuckoo’s Call:
On Bengali tv, there’s a comedy / humour show anchored by Mir. He is intelligent, funny, irreverent and endearing. At the end of each show, he delivers a pseudo-poetic punch line in Hindi. Last night, referring to the coincidence this year of the Hindu festival of light, Diwali, and the imminent Muslim festival of Eid (at the end of Ramadan), Mir recited this one, which increased my admiration for him by several notches:
Agar Diwali mein hai Ali
Aur Ramzaan mein Ram ka naam
To Hindu aur Musalman ke beech
Nafrat ka kya hai kaam?
If Diwali contains Ali
And Ramadan the name of Ram
Then what place has hatred
Between Hindu and Muslim?
Nice post and an appropriate one for occasions.
Also, like both the photographs. Have never been to Wazir Khan mosque before. WIll put it on my ‘must visit’ list after your endorsement.