khoya khoya chand khula aasman Aankhon mein saari raat jaayegi Tumko bhi kaise neend aayegi

It began with the  Ruet e Hilal Committee convening to sight the Ramzan moon on the eve of Rafi's death anniversary ( making me speculate whether they were humming Khoya Khoya Chand as they peered at the sky, all myopic eyes, or it could be they preferred

 chaand mera dil chaandni ho tum

chaand se hai door chaandni kahaan
laut ke aana hai yahin tumko 
jaa rahe ho tum jaao meri jaan

And then Ramzan ended with the introduction of Instagram to my life. There are some in 

my part of the world who live a life of diaspora and adopt "rap culture", feeling a 

commonality of interest, a synergy of energy if you may say, with them. Me, I have adopted

 the "Muslim social" and embraced a very Mehboob Khan Eid, with Nasir Hussain films 

providing the sound track to my month so far.

As Ramadans go this has been the most beautiful so far.

Or so I might say every year.

When it comes to spirituality I fall under the Cake khaane ke liye hum kahin bhi jaa sakte hain school of thought, eager to gather all the crumbs that fall off our "multicultural" table.

But this year has been calmer. Minus the odd rant or two. But as I was telling someone the other day, I would go to bed fuming and wake up humming Raat Gayi Baat Gayi

And The Toddler didnt get screamed at the whole month.

ahem!

Eid was lovely. Friends are the new family. There were new traditions and some old, just as the Eids of my childhood. There were the same mid-day screams of "Dont Want to Wear This" but this time around I was the furious mother chasing a child as he escaped a starched kurta. And hark! was this my tongue that uttered the Fine! So No One Goes And We Will Stay Home, See If I Care

But I did calm down by the next day (on what we call the Baasi Eid, loosely translated as 

LeftOver Eid) to take these images from around our house, so from our house to yours.

      Eid ki Dilli Khushiyan Mubarak.

Infuser: Madhubhan Khushbu Deyta Hai

The ubiquitous sanskari photograph: Tasbeeh and jaanemaz courtesy M Aid. No not Muslim Aid. Mother's Aid.

and our Eid cheer includes Haathi Mera Saathi and Jal Bin Machli

Attar dan. This time courtesy Grandmother's Aid Package

Shaadi ka batwa and  kangan. for the Kirron Kher Yeh lo Shagun  Ka Karha  moments in life

Remember when Eid meant trunk calls and not bulk emails?

A basket to hold my jazbati  risaley 

And we end this episode with playing some tunes

We leave this weekend for our travels to a continent far, far away.  So I leave you with good wishes for the Ganesh Chatruthi fortnight. Wishing you all the gift of good books, luck, and health. And food, lots of good food!

And this is The Toddler in his Eid finery all Insta-grammed. Just for this year  one will not be remiss  labeling our apartment Armaan Manzil, and him Achan Mian