Brace yourself for Eid
By Confused Vegetable
Hings are all fuzzy, warm and joyful this time of year and the warmth doesn't necessarily have to do with the heat. Eid is around the corner, and while it means a lot of things to a lot of people, there are some key points that appeals to us.
No more parched throats and bad breath
As much as we loved the days we fasted and made the heroic journey through the clogged streets to have iftar with our family and at times, with our noisy friends at fast food restaurants - the thirst never got better. With the month nearing its end, one thing brightens up the horizon more than anything else - we can drink as much water as we want, whenever we want.
And let's not undermine the awfully stinky breaths coming out of our mouths, even when we brush it. Having food sometimes gives you bad breath. Not having it does so too. Where is the justice in the world? And during fasting hours the foulness becomes so vivid that even Voldemort could potentially sense the stench.
Le Moneh
Suck up your ego, and don't forget to throw generous amounts of compliments to your Mama/Mami, your Dada/Dadu and all the other adult relatives this Eid, especially the ones who own a business and/or are abundantly rich - because they're the ones who are going to hand you the most satisfactory Eidis. And with the one thousand taka notes recently circulated, their task of showing affection has only become easier.
But watch out for evil uncles; don't end up collecting ten 1000 taka notes with all of them fake. What a disastrous Eid would that be?
Jhikimiki everywhere:
Be it the chipa golis of Mirpur, or the upscale street of Banani 11 - people from all aspects of life and their jhikimiki clothes know no bounds; making the Eid spirit all the more vibrant - sometimes literally. After all it's the only time of the year where you can get away with flamboyant fashion statements.
Do wear your jhikimiki to fit in this Eid.
Pulaw Korma and Elachi
Personally, my favourite part of Eid is the Pulaw-Korma dinner/dinners at the relatives' house. There's nothing, and I mean nothing - no French soufflé, or Mexican Taco, or even Indian Dosa that tastes as good as Pulaw-Korma on that day. Funny how heritages burrow into your head and settle down. The flavourful, fragrant pearly white Pulaw and the Deshi Murgir Korma with generous amounts of ghee - if there are any ways of rewarding us for an entire month of food deprivation, these dishes are the answer.
However, do look out for those little meddling, Eid-feast-poopers that pop inside your mouth when you're indulging in the goodness of your aunt's awesome cooking skills and are least expecting it - they are the most evilly overpowering spice ever: EH-LA-CHI.
Family
Not telling you to cancel out all your date plans with your girlfriend/boyfriend, but there's a saying in Spanish from The Brother's Garcia (an old school nick production) that goes like, todo para la familia - Everything for the family; and Eid is best experienced when with the company of one's family.
But an Eid afternoon not spent randomly roaming the streets with friends is an Eid afternoon not worth having.
Eid TV
A true Bangali does not simply miss out on the down-right hilarious package dramas on TV.
There are the occasional sad ones there as well. But without doubt Ittyadi takes the centre-spot for many households across the country. Perhaps not to us anymore; we're a little more inclined towards Modern Family and Suits nowadays. But how about checking it out for old times' sake, when there was no cable and no internet?
Keep a look out on the centrefold entertainment section of The Daily Star and on the local channels to learn about the time schedules of the best shows. They even have small excerpts of plots so you can pick something you'd actually be interested in.
Something in the air
It's really hard to say whether it's the royal food, the new fresh Eid clothes, or just the people around us that provide Eid with the sense of excitement and joyous delight. The merriment that resides in almost every corner of the country on this very day is truly undeniable and one can't help but thank the Almighty for this sense of unity.
Now, with the peace-filled, tranquil month at the brink of reaching its hearty destiny - after keeping all those Rojas, we can all ponder upon how people, much underprivileged than us feel like - without a clean drop of water or a plate of moderately fresh rice to indulge in. Let the lessons not go unheeded.
The least, we can do is give Eid Mubaraks with an amiable smile to all those pestering skinny little kids on the streets on the big day of Eid. Remember, the Prophet said, even a smile counts as a charity. Though sharing Eidi might also be a nice gesture.
