Festivities confined to homes; 50 percent attendance at Mosques

Mysore/Mysuru: The festival of Bakrid — festival of sacrifice or Eid-ul-Adha — will be celebrated on a low-key in city tomorrow. 

For two consecutive years in this worrisome pandemic situation, festivities will be confined to homes and only 50 percent of the crowd is allowed at Mosques. 

Mass prayer at Idgah Maidan is banned. On the day of Bakrid, Muslim brethren set aside a portion of their earnings, which they give away to the needy. Called “Zakat,” it is given in the form of ration, meat, clothes, and anything that the poor may need to enjoy the festival. 

On this day, Muslim community sacrifice goat or sheep to commemorate the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim, who willingly agreed to kill his son at the behest of God. But because of his devotion to God, his son was saved and a goat was sacrificed instead. The festival coincides with the Haj pilgrimage in Mecca. 

Prayers are offered in the Mosques and the sacrificial meat is then distributed after the Id prayers. Special delicacies are prepared and served among family and friends on the occasion. Giving charity and feeding the poor on this occasion is also part of the tradition.

State order

Department of Minority Welfare, Haj and Waqf has issued guidelines and as per the order, not more than 50 people will be allowed to offer prayers in a mosque and wearing a mask is compulsory, adding that devotees should maintain a distance of six feet from each other while offering prayers. 

Children below the age of 10 should offer Namaz at home only. Checking of temperature, sanitising or washing of hands with soap before entering the mosques has also been made mandatory. The regulations also require every person to carry their own “Janemaaz” or “Musalla” or cloth used to offer Namaz. 

Shaking hands, embracing each other is also prohibited. Slaughtering animals in open spaces like parks, roads, pedestrian paths, hospitals, nursing homes and religious places, including mosques, is banned. 

After tepid response, sheep sale picks up

COVID has left hundreds of farmers and livestock breeders such as sheep and goats in a fix for the second consecutive year. Sales have only picked up in the last three days after over 15 days of tepid response.

Animal breeders from Srirangapatna, Pandavapura, Arakere, T. Narasipur, Bannur, Kirugavalu and other places have brought their livestock to the city and have been doing business for about 20 days. Even the prices of sheep have shot up, say buyers.  Known for its special taste owing to its fat content, the sale of Bandur breed sheep is brisk. There are other breeds like Malpura, Sonadi, Mecheri and Jamunapari also.

Some traders said, demand to purchase these animals has come down. “First of all, lockdown conditions spoiled the festive spirit last year. We were hopeful that this year would help us with profitable revenue. However, there are hardly any takers. In the previous years, we sold sheep for Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000. But now people are refusing to pay Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000,” said a breeder from Srirangapatna. 

With no designated place for the sellers to sell their livestock, Millennium Circle (LIC Circle) on Mysuru-Bengaluru Road has turned into a sheep fair (jathra) with hundreds of sheep of various breeds being tied in and around the Circle and at vacant spaces near Torchlight Parade Grounds. 

A buyer told Star of Mysore that the prices of sheep have increased by 15 percent compared to last year and added that a medium size sheep weighing about 15 kgs is being sold between Rs. 13,000 and Rs. 15,000. 

Sanaulla Khan, a meat trader, said that the demand for Bandur sheep is more as buyers from the city and other places are arriving to buy sheep of their choice.

Online sale

 Like last year, this year too, some sheep buyers are purchasing sheep through social media platforms where images of healthy sheep are uploaded along with the contact numbers of the animal owner.   

These platforms enable breeders in reaching customers from the safety of their homes. Pictures of the goats on sale are featured on the website. Interestingly, the beauty and health of the animal play an important role in selection.

The shape of horns and the size of ears also matter. Goats with certain patterns (which are considered auspicious) on their body fetch a higher price here. The online platforms provide the option to customers to visit the breeder or ask the animal to be delivered at their doorstep.

‘Follow Government guidelines’

Former Corporator K.C. Shoukath Pasha, who is also the Secretary of Mysore Beedi Mazdoor Association, has urged the community members to follow the guidelines issued by the State Government and celebrate Bakrid safely. He said that the MCC has arranged vehicles to pick up animal wastes to prevent them from being dumped on roadsides and other places which may cause inconvenience to others. He has urged Muslim brethren to co-operate with the District Administration, Police and other law-enforcing authorities and celebrate the festival in a peaceful manner.

Prayer timings

Prayer timings at various Mosques according to Masjid Management Committee is as follows:

6.25 am: Mecca Masjid at Rajivnagar 2nd Stage

6.30 am: Masjid Aala Hazarath at Rajivnagar, Masjid Feel Khana, near MCC Office on Sayyaji Rao Road, Masjid Jyothinagar, Masjid Khairulwara at Rajivnagar, Masjid Rehamaniya at Shantinagar, Masjid-e-Alhaj Omer Khan on B.N. Street in Mandi Mohalla.

6.45 am: Masjid Syed Ahmed at S.A. Layout, Rajivnagar.

7 am: Masjid-e-Moula Hussain at Sathyanagar, Jamiya Masjid on Irwin Road, Masjid Eidgah on Mission Hospital Road, Masjid Meer Hayath Sahib at Mandi Mohalla, Masjid Aqsa near Fountain Circle, Masjid Moula Ali at Ghousianagar, Masjid-Ya-Allah at Mohammed Sait Block, Masjid Ali Murtuza on Azeez Sait Double Road, near Udayagiri Police Station, Masjid Yasin 1st Jamath at Rajivnagar, Masjid-e-Ibrahim at Bannimantap, Masjid Nimraha at Rajivnagar, Masjid Ya-Rasool-Alaha at Rajivnagar 1st Stage and Masjid Hazarath Ameer Hamza at Shantinagar.

7.30 am: Masjid Azam Ahle Sunnath Jamath, Masjid Bismillah at Bharath Nagar, Masjid Quba at Udayagiri, Masjid-Ya-Mustafa at Udayagiri, Masjid Khatoon-e-Jannat at Kesare, Rajendranagar and Masjid Khadria at Nanjumalige, Agrahara.

8 am: Masjid-Ya-Rub at Kalyangiri, Masjid Madeena at Muslim Block in Kyathamaranahalli, Masjid Showdul Badar on Azeez Road in Shanthinagar, Masjid Hazarath Ghareeb-un-Nawaz, Masjid Dargahi on Sawday Road, Masjid Munawara at R.S. Naidu Nagar, Masjid Rehmania near Silk Factory in Mysuru South, Zeenath-ul-Masjid on 100 ft Road in Chamaraja Mohalla and Masjid Yasin 2nd Jamath at Rajivnagar.

8.30 am: Masjid-e-Mushayikeen at Rajivnagar and Masjid Azam Markaz Ahle Sunnath-wo-Jamath on Ashoka Road.

9 am: Masjid Aqsa near Fountain Circle and Masjid Mohamadi at Shantinagar.