A kind of isolation has come over the world. I have already lost 10 to 12 childhood friends. 2 friends were martyred in the liberation war. Now decreasing every year; Many have passed during covid.
As a child, my Eid was a little different. I grew up in a beautiful culture. I grew up in the Manipuri Rajbari of Sylhet. Most of the families there were Manipuri, some were Hindus and we were a few Muslims. We were invited to everyone’s house during Puja-Parban. We could truly enjoy religious festivals. It was not a festival of any particular group or community. We must have followed the religious rules. Such as Tarawi prayer, fasting etc. Sometimes I used to go to the mosque with my father. When we were children, we used to offer Eid prayers in the mosque where Hazrat Shahjalal’s shrine is located. All of us brothers, led by father, used to go to pray in that mosque. My duty was to carry the prayers. I used to fulfill that responsibility very smoothly. I still remember them very well. We used to have a lot of freedom after coming back from prayer. I did whatever I wanted. I loved sports. So I used to play in the field.
All the communities used to enjoy our joyous occasions. It was the great experience of my life. When I saw others joining in the joy of Eid; It seemed very humane to me that poor people of any religion could come and eat at home. I think we grew up seeing the human side of religion. We have never seen the intolerant side. Tolerance, humanity, mutual respect, respect – these were considered essential values in our childhood. My childhood was much happier in that respect.
When I was young people were less greedy; There was no reason. Only men used to market during Eid. He used to buy clothes for his wife, brothers and sisters, parents. Neighbors also had good relations.
I see the prevalence of excess in society today. Apart from this, the compassion I saw in my childhood towards the poor, is largely absent now. In our time, there was no announcement about giving Zakat on the radio. Everyone used to give zakat spontaneously. Now I have also seen advertisement in paper for giving Zakat. People need to be reminded. It was not there before. Now people’s wealth has increased. Earlier people’s resources were limited, but the mentality of giving was much greater. Now the mentality of taking and hoarding has increased; Willingness to give has dropped significantly. I can see these two changes. The practice of abundance; There is so much extravagance with clothes that it has to be shown through advertisements. This was not the case before. How to party with Iftar? I have never seen it. Sehri party these days! When I was a child, my father and teachers used to say – eat half and work twice as much during the month of fasting. This is your education. Now it’s the opposite.
The secular aspect of the religious festival has also become very narrow today. I am very worried about this! Because those who taught us ethics; Imam, teachers of the mosque were very good people. He taught to speak the truth, to respect the elders, to love the younger ones, to stay away from violence and hatred. He used to say not to hurt anyone’s heart. These things entered our minds from childhood. That doesn’t mean we weren’t mischievous. I used to do a lot of mischief. But I did not deceive people. A couple of times I may have run into some home fruit. I opened a bottle of pickle left to dry in the sun and ate some. These were minor deviations. In the larger sense we have never given up morals, nor harbored enmity against anyone. Now I can see that those who will give moral education are not the only ones. Those teachers are gone, those families are isolated. And when families fall into greed, selfishness creeps in. The interest becomes bigger. When man forgets morality, then sanctity is no longer found in the practice of that man’s religion. The sacred is like a flower; The smell spreads. You will feel when holy people come forward. Like perfume!
If there is no integrity in a person, if that person orders or forbids someone; Who will listen to it? We could never have imagined the issue of teenage gangs. If there is health in a family, why will there be drug addiction! A sick greed is being practiced in our country. Our teachers should also be careful about these things.
What we saw in our childhood, we tried to maintain even as we grew up. Still we are sending Eid wishes to everyone, friends are sending Vijaya wishes, Buddhapurnima wishes. We used to take them for granted. Now they are decreasing. It is good for the society if this trend is maintained. Because all religions talk about the welfare of people. Festivals of all religions have one theme – joy and harmony among people. Also if we have compassion for poor people; If we fulfill our responsibilities towards them properly, joy becomes full and meaningful. If the rich understand that all their wealth is due to the poor, then it will become necessary to fulfill their responsibilities towards them. Society still lacks this sense.