Roads crawling with vehicles, bazaars fully illuminated, youths riding silencer-less motorbikes, shops full to the brim with customers. What else can you expect on Chand Raat.
Be it Saddar, Commercial Market, Moti Bazaar or Rani Bazaar, it seems as if the entire population of Rawalpindi has poured out into the bazaars.
On Eid eve, the festive mood of all and sundry was at its peak. Shopping fever which gripped the people from the mid of Ramazan reached its zenith on Chand Raat.
In cantonment, Saddar is where it all happens on any festive occasion. Snail-paced movement of vehicles on Bank Road and blaring horns was a common phenomenon on the eve of this auspicious occasion. At times, you see people losing their temper, boys getting into scuffles, but, on the whole, the policemen, who are deployed in large numbers, made sure nothing serious occurred which spoiled the festive mood.
Throughout Ramazan, these law-enforcement agencies remained on their toes in maintaining peace, but, on Chand Raat, they doubled up their security measures.
On seeing shops stuffed with buyers, one cannot by any stretch of the imagination say that the purchasing power of the people has dwindled.
On Chand Raat, bangle-sellers and Hina appliers did a roaring business.
According to one of the bangle-sellers at Kamran Market, this was the time when their shops and stalls were most visited. Bangles and Hina have become synonymous with Eid. Without these accessories, Eid is incomplete for women, he said.
One can see crowds of women at bangle stores trying to find something unique that would go with their dress.
Moti Bazaar, one of the oldest bazaars in the city, is a shopping paradise for women. They can get anything and everything here. However, this bazaar is strictly for women and a “no-go” area for men.
Several grand functions were held this Chand Raat, but the two events where families thronged in large numbers were the Chand Raat Mela at a local hotel and the Artillery Mess Eid function.
Young girls and boys, looking at their best, had a “blast” of a time. Dancing around a bonfire on the music played by a local band, these young people got into a trance.
For some, music was too much to handle. They preferred to sit and munch at one of the stalls while some still were found dress-hunting.
Mateen, a marketing executive, said he spent his Chand Raat with friends, driving to every nook and corner of the city throughout the night.
“This is how we enjoy. Since we cannot go to any grand function as these are meant only for families, this is the most we can do.”
For Ali, Chand Raat was the real Eid. “We got together at a friend’s place and then hit the roads. I simply love to see all the rush. On Chand Raat, everything is full of life, there is activity going on everywhere. You don’t find this energy on Eid day.”
For Sehrish, Ambreen and Marzia, students of third year, it was a must to visit the bazaar.
“There is something or the other you need. Eid preparations continue till the last moment,” they said. They were of the view that certain accessories like bangles and artificial jewellery should be bought on Chand Raat.
Eid is an occasion when people, no matter which economical group they belong to, sometimes, stretch beyond their means to celebrate this festival in style.
