Friday, August 9, 2013

Eid-ul-Fitr - Celebrations in Bangalore!


Eid-ul-Fitr_Bangalore_Fraser_Town

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.

Eid-ul-Fitr_Bangalore_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.

Eid-ul-Fitr_Bangalore_Fraser_Town

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.

Eid-ul-Fitr_Bangalore_Fraser_Town

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!

114 comments:

  1. Wow...great capture !! My favorite is photo no. 3 !

    Greetings from Germany

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  2. Very interesting ... I was only vaguely aware of what Eid was and I appreciated learning about it here. Beautiful photos.

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    1. I am glad your found the post informative. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a nice comment.

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  3. Really great images! I enjoyed learning about the Eid festival and seeing the traditional clothing.

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Thank you for dropping by.

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  4. Thank you very much for the pictures and explanations. These are things I am interested in knowing about.

    I hope it is in order to wish the the very best!

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    1. Glad to know you found the post interesting. Eid Mubarak means Blessed Feast. People wish each other at the end of Ramzan.

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    1. Thank you Randy for stopping by and leaving a nice comment :)

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  6. Wow! Wonderful captures of the festival, lovely series!

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  7. great pics. it's amazing to have the chance to witness bits of other cultures and civilizations.

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  8. You have wonderfully captured the religious essence of the festival :-)

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  9. Wonderful photos, mysticism breathes!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a nice comment.

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  10. It 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.

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    1. It is quite an experience, watching this in person and capturing it. I am glad you found the post informative.

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  11. Beautiful shots. Riding a two wheeler in Bangalore, must be fun.

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    1. Early morning with almost zero traffic, its nice. The cold in the morning, not much fun :)

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  12. You 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...

    Destination Infinity

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    1. 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.

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  13. Woah, 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

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    1. When 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.

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  14. That is a nice cause behind the fasting. Helping the less fortunate has an intrinsic value that cannot often be matched.

    You got some nice pictures.

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    1. I agree the thought is nice. Thanks for the compliment :)

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  15. Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your constant encouragement with the kind words.

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  16. These are excellent photos. I think getting up so early was worthwhile.

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    1. It was indeed worthwhile. Thanks for the compliment :)

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  17. Replies
    1. It was a large gathering and in Bangalore itself there were several such gatherings across the city :)

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  18. Nice photos - that must be something to see.

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    1. It was my first experience being present for Eid namaz. So it was indeed a very unique experience.

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  19. Great shots. I like the different perspectives of the shots.

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    1. Thank you for stopping by and taking some time to leave a nice comment.

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  20. Very interesting. This offers a view of a world which most of us in the US never see. Merci!

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    1. I am glad you found this post interesting and informative. Thank you for stopping by.

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  21. the reverence in unison is beautiful.

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    1. It was a beautiful experience watching this in person. Thanks for stopping by.

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  22. Wonderful shots indeed!

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  23. Wonderful photos and interesting narrative.

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    1. Glad you liked the post and found it interesting. Thanks for stopping by.

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  24. Replies
    1. It was a sizable crowd. Good to know you liked the pictures.

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  25. I 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!

    Thank you for leaving your comment on my blog, hope you enjoyed Sunday as well. :)

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    1. I sure an grateful to my friend for this and several other things.

      Have a great week!

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  26. 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.

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed this post. Maybe you can visit Bangalore sometime so enjoy some of these things first hand :)

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  27. Gorgeous series of images! The third one is incredible.

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    1. I am glad you liked the series. Thanks for stopping by.

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  28. Nice work. Know of any talented freelancers based in Chennai?

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    1. Thank you for the nice words :)

      Sorry can't help you with that. Let me know if you need someone in Bangalore.

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  29. Amazing photos. captured well :)

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  30. Your images are beautiful and show great unity!

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    1. I am glad you liked my work. Thanks for stopping by.

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  31. lovely images...

    http://www.myunfinishedlife.com

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  32. Beautiful pictures Ramakant! The step by step, series of the poses looks stunning! Great timing and framing... :)
    Eid Mubarak Ramakant! :)
    Indian Fashion n Travel Blogger! - Bhusha's INDIA TRAVELOGUE

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for stopping by.

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  33. Thank 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.

    Very nice shots as well.

    Have a wonderful week!

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    1. I am glad to see you here. So now you know what Ramdan is :)
      You have a great week ahead!

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  34. Fascinating photos! You captured these scenes well. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. Thank you Linda for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the post.

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  35. Love these photos - what an amazing spectacle!

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed the post. It is quite spectacular, isn't it?

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  36. Wonderful shots! I feel like I am there witnessing it as it is happening!

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    1. Glad the pictures are captivating and make you feel part of the event. Thanks for stopping by.

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  37. These photos show well what the day must have been like.

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    1. I am glad the pictures help you appreciate that. Thanks for stopping by.

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  38. Hi.. First time dropping by here..
    And 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. :)

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    1. Glad you enjoyed your first visit here. Hope to see you here more often.

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  39. Amazing! pictures Ramakant , you are an awesome photographer :)

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    1. Thank you so much. You are very kind in your praise :)

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  40. Wow! is all I can say.
    The 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.

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    1. It's sure is a fantastic place. This was my first outing for a religious gathering. Loved the environment.

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  41. Beautiful Symmetry. Loved the Pics!

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Tryst with the Shutter Bug by Ramakant Pradhan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.