I was up today at the crack of dawn, which is rather unusual for me. One of my shutterbug buddies woke me up to join him in capturing the festivities of Eid-ul-Fitr. Yesterday the moon had been sighted. My friend proposed going to Fraser Town where a good gathering was expected. So there I was was sitting huddled in the backseat of his Scooty Pep, quietly chiding myself for forgetting my jacket, as we travelled from BTM to Fraser Town.
In Bangalore, Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated with great fervour and gaiety. This festival marks the culmination of the fasting month of Ramzan (also known as Ramdan). Eid-ul-Fitr literally means the festival of breaking the fast. During Ramzan, Muslims fast from dawn till sunset with no food or water. The idea behind the fasting is that by experience hunger, they will develop compassion for the less fortunate.
Thousands of Muslims clad in traditional attire trooped to the nearest Idgahs and mosques to offer the special Eid namaaz. Mass prayers were held at mosques. The namaaz was followed by warm exchange of greetings and embrace spreading the message of love and unity.
My friend and I were well in time for the Eid namaaz and got some good pictures. In fact, we had a gala time. An early wake-up meant a rather long day but it has been good fun. Eid Mubarak!
Wow...great capture !! My favorite is photo no. 3 !
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Germany
Thank you Timur for stopping by
DeleteVery interesting ... I was only vaguely aware of what Eid was and I appreciated learning about it here. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteI am glad your found the post informative. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a nice comment.
DeleteReally great images! I enjoyed learning about the Eid festival and seeing the traditional clothing.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you for dropping by.
DeleteThank you very much for the pictures and explanations. These are things I am interested in knowing about.
ReplyDeleteI hope it is in order to wish the the very best!
Glad to know you found the post interesting. Eid Mubarak means Blessed Feast. People wish each other at the end of Ramzan.
DeleteBeautiful captures...
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteGreat series of photos!
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda for the kind words :)
DeleteSuch beautiful photographs.
ReplyDeleteThank you Randy for stopping by and leaving a nice comment :)
Deletenicely captured!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words Ashok.
DeleteWow! Wonderful captures of the festival, lovely series!
ReplyDeleteThank you Arti for the words of appreciation :)
Deletegreat pics. it's amazing to have the chance to witness bits of other cultures and civilizations.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoy your visits to my blog.
DeleteSuch wonderful images!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by.
DeleteBeautiful photographs.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bob for the kind words.
DeleteYou have wonderfully captured the religious essence of the festival :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you feel so. Hope you enjoy your visit here.
DeleteWonderful photos, mysticism breathes!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by and leaving a nice comment.
DeleteIt must be quite an experience to see... or to be a part of... such a massive gathering of people engaged in communal prayer. Thanks for sharing that experience with us. Your photos and words combine to make great teaching tools.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite an experience, watching this in person and capturing it. I am glad you found the post informative.
DeleteBeautiful shots. Riding a two wheeler in Bangalore, must be fun.
ReplyDeleteEarly morning with almost zero traffic, its nice. The cold in the morning, not much fun :)
DeleteYou could have tried clicking from a different angle as well. Maybe you were not able to move around? Good pics, still. There is something blissful about photographing many people in a single frame...
ReplyDeleteDestination Infinity
I don't have a much wider lens, so I had to stay back a bit. I was actually on the raised platform of nearby railway station just adjacent to the ground in which the Eid namaz was scheduled. So quite restricted in movement. But you are right, I sometimes get leaden feet. Need to keep that at the back of my mind.
DeleteWell captured!
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteWoah, I have to admit I know so little about India that I didn't realize until I saw your pics that Bangalore had so many Muslims! :O
ReplyDeleteWhen you consider from percentage of the total population perspective, muslims, christians, sikhs, parsis, etc. will be in minority. But then with India's population having crossed a billion, even 1% amounts to 10 million. Muslims constitute of around 14% of total population in the country.
DeleteThat is a nice cause behind the fasting. Helping the less fortunate has an intrinsic value that cannot often be matched.
ReplyDeleteYou got some nice pictures.
I agree the thought is nice. Thanks for the compliment :)
Deleteexcellent clicks
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteYep, fabulous captures as always!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your constant encouragement with the kind words.
DeleteThese are excellent photos. I think getting up so early was worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed worthwhile. Thanks for the compliment :)
DeleteWow!That's a very large mass prayer.
ReplyDeleteIt was a large gathering and in Bangalore itself there were several such gatherings across the city :)
DeleteNice photos - that must be something to see.
ReplyDeleteIt was my first experience being present for Eid namaz. So it was indeed a very unique experience.
DeleteGreat shots. I like the different perspectives of the shots.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by and taking some time to leave a nice comment.
DeleteVery interesting. This offers a view of a world which most of us in the US never see. Merci!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you found this post interesting and informative. Thank you for stopping by.
Deletethe reverence in unison is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt was a beautiful experience watching this in person. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteWonderful shots indeed!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much :)
DeleteWonderful photos and interesting narrative.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the post and found it interesting. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteGreat shots, so many people.
ReplyDeleteIt was a sizable crowd. Good to know you liked the pictures.
DeleteI like the diagonal view of the shots, it brings interesting tension to them. I guess you were grateful to your 'shutterbug buddy' that he'd woken you up so early!
ReplyDeleteThank you for leaving your comment on my blog, hope you enjoyed Sunday as well. :)
I sure an grateful to my friend for this and several other things.
DeleteHave a great week!
Awesome of you to share this with us. I have many colleagues in Bangalore whom I converse with daily, this helps me appreciate your holidays.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed this post. Maybe you can visit Bangalore sometime so enjoy some of these things first hand :)
DeleteGorgeous series of images! The third one is incredible.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you liked the series. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteAmazing photos!
ReplyDeleteThank you Christine. Glad you liked the post.
DeleteNice work. Know of any talented freelancers based in Chennai?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the nice words :)
DeleteSorry can't help you with that. Let me know if you need someone in Bangalore.
Amazing photos. captured well :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Cynthia. Appreciate you kind comment :)
Deletethis is really nice :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it :)
DeleteYour images are beautiful and show great unity!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you liked my work. Thanks for stopping by.
Deletelovely images...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.myunfinishedlife.com
Thank you so much. Appreciate your kind words.
DeleteLovely captures
ReplyDeleteThank you so much.
DeleteBeautiful pictures Ramakant! The step by step, series of the poses looks stunning! Great timing and framing... :)
ReplyDeleteEid Mubarak Ramakant! :)
Indian Fashion n Travel Blogger! - Bhusha's INDIA TRAVELOGUE
I am glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteThank you for sharing what Ramdan is, I've heard the term but never quite grasped what this was or what it signified and naturally I'd forget to Google it or do any research because by the time I sit at my computer the thought has passed. Now I understand and what a beautiful concept.
ReplyDeleteVery nice shots as well.
Have a wonderful week!
I am glad to see you here. So now you know what Ramdan is :)
DeleteYou have a great week ahead!
Very Nice Captures. . .
ReplyDeleteThank you so much :)
Deletevery bful
ReplyDeleteThank you Aparna. Glad you liked it.
DeleteWonderful shots!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. Glad you enjoyed the post.
DeleteFascinating photos! You captured these scenes well. Thanks for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the post.
DeleteLove these photos - what an amazing spectacle!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed the post. It is quite spectacular, isn't it?
DeleteWonderful shots! I feel like I am there witnessing it as it is happening!
ReplyDeleteGlad the pictures are captivating and make you feel part of the event. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteNice pics of the festival!
ReplyDeleteThank you Rahul for the kind comment.
DeleteSpectacular clicks!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteThese photos show well what the day must have been like.
ReplyDeleteI am glad the pictures help you appreciate that. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteCaptures the true spirit. Nice.
ReplyDeleteThank you Alka for stopping by.
DeleteHi.. First time dropping by here..
ReplyDeleteAnd wow, your photos are amazing.. You certainly captured the essence of it. It's pretty much the same here in Malaysia on the first day of Eid, the spirit is the same. :)
Glad you enjoyed your first visit here. Hope to see you here more often.
DeleteAmazing! pictures Ramakant , you are an awesome photographer :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. You are very kind in your praise :)
DeleteWow! is all I can say.
ReplyDeleteThe mosque in Fraser Town was a great place for these superb pics. It was on my way home for a few years and it was awesome seeing people gather there for prayers.
It's sure is a fantastic place. This was my first outing for a religious gathering. Loved the environment.
DeleteBeautiful Symmetry. Loved the Pics!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sudhir. Appreciate the compliment.
Delete