Following the nation-wide lockdown and prohibition on offering mass religious prayers, Id-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramzan, remained low key and simple.
The Shahi Idgah where special festival prayers are offered remained locked; perhaps, a never-before happening in the history of the idgah.
Normally, the huge open ground of the Idgah which attracts thousands of Muslims during special prayers, remained closed for namaz.
Similarly, Jama Masjid, the biggest mosque of the district, too did not see any large gatherings.
With masjids remaining closed, Muslims chose to offer prayers in their houses as per the direction of clerics who had appealed to them not to offer mass prayers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus.
A large number of Muslims appeared to have adhered to the appeal of clerics not to purchase new clothes and instead give the money to poor people this year. And, most of the Muslims were seen wearing old clothes during the celebration.
The effect of the lockdown was visible not only on garments shops as people desisted from buying new clothes but also seen on the supply of milk.
As the special festival sweet which is prepared with milk as the primary ingredient, a large quantum of milk is purchased normally during Ramzan. But this year, the purchases dipped, according to officials of the Karnataka Milk Federation.
However, KMF Managing Director Sanjiv Dixit said that there was no significant dip. The demand for milk fell by 20 % this year owing to lockdown, he added.
“Every year, we have been noticing a steady increase in the demand for milk during Id. Normally, there is an increase of at least 20,000 litrs every year, but this year we have seen a decline in demand, which is attributed to the lockdown,” he said.
