TIMELESS TALES THAT ENRICH THE FESTIVE FERVOUR

ID greetings to all, dear readers. Eid ul-Fitr marks the culmination of Ramzan, the month-long period of fasting, spiritual reflection, and increased devotion for Muslims.

- RENUKA NARAYANAN

I find festival stories interesting for what they try to communicate and, above all, how they're told. Most of the ones I've read are in English about Christmas. Many Western writers have narrated the most charming Christmas stories without being didactic, be it Charles Dickens, Hans Christian Andersen, or Agatha Christie. It's long been a personal ritual of mine to re-read old favourites around Christmas. So, I wondered—are there any stories about Eid?

The only famous short story I could think of was in Hindi by Munshi Premchand. Titled Idgah, it tells the story of Hamid, an orphan living with his grandmother, who goes to the Eid fair with only three paisa in his pocket. The narrative follows the child's perspective as he sees other children having fun at the fair and buying sweets and treats. Finally, he makes his own choice—to buy a pair of tongs for his grandmother, who has none and burns her fingers while cooking. This story remains popular because it does not preach directly; instead, it lets the storytelling convey the values and emotions the writer wishes to share through the pure character of a little child. It's available in English if you would like to read it.

I've also read a short story about Eid translated from Tamil to English in the Katha series of short story translations, though that was over thirty years ago. I recall only one interesting detail: Tamil Muslims also use the word