By Shahnaz Husain
Eid always brings back memories of my father and the way he tried to instill in us that religion should not divide people; that it should bring people together. He always said that all religions are based on the common principles of love and brotherhood. My memories also transfer me to my childhood days in Lucknow and Allahabad, and to the fabulous festive atmosphere in the house. Eid is a festival of love, peace, charity and brotherhood. It marks the end of the holy month of Ramzan and is a joyous and happy time. With time, we realized that all festivals have a social relevance, because these are occasions when we meet and celebrate with family and friends.
As children, we looked forward most of all to the gifts we received on Eid. With time, as we grew older, the gifts also changed. As a little girl, I would be so excited to receive beautiful dolls, dolls houses and cooking sets. As we grew older, the nature of the gifts changed, but the excitement and happiness did not lessen at all! I remember receiving books, beautiful dresses and even money. Of course, we were not allowed to go shopping, so we gave the money to my mother. I remember, we wore elaborate new outfits, were allowed to have intricate henna designs on our hands and wore colourful glass bangles.
The entire house would have a festive look, beautifully decorated with garlands and flowers. It was always “open house” and friends and family would keep dropping in for lunch, all day. We would meet people we had not seen for a whole year! From the staff from my father’s office, to friends and eminent people, everyone was greeted traditionally, with flowers and the fragrance of rose water. People would be dressed in their finery, with clothes richly embossed with gold. Guests always looked forward to the delicious spread of aromatic biryani, rich korma, delicately flavoured kakori kababs and of course, the seviyaan and kheer, full of delicious raisins and nuts. There were plenty of vegetarian dishes too, not to forget the rotis, naan and sheermal. The celebrations would carry on to the strains of music.
Our childhood Eid Celebrations are a beautiful memory.
About Shahnaz Husain
Shahnaz Husain, pioneer of the Ayurvedic beauty movement, heads the Shahnaz Husain Group, with a global network of franchise ventures and 375 Ayurvedic formulations. A Case Study at Harvard for Brand Creation, she is now a Harvard Subject for “Emerging Markets” She was honored with the Padma Shri Award and is the first woman in 105 years to receive the World’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur Award from Success, the U.S. business magazine. Indeed, Shahnaz Husain is a leading international beauty icon.’
