LAHORE:As the country is in the clutches of merciless corona pandemic and reeling with the shocking tragedy of PIA’s plane crash in Karachi, the Eid remained gloomy, colourless and low-key affair in the provincial capital with everyone, including the showbiz, performing and fine arts community and the literary world stayed at home while celebrating with through virtual aids.
The horrific tragedy of PIA's plane in Karachi on the blessed day of Jumatul Wida (the last Friday in Ramazan) kept the whole nation gripped in an aura of pain and sadness through the three days of Eid. The crash, which sniffed out 98 lives which included the entire crew of the plane , young army officers, two complete families, a budding young and brilliant Model/Artist Zara Abid, many women and children, is still haunting the nation as the gory details of the greatest tragedy of the year 2020 are still unfolding.
The city mosques also remained devoid of the traditional jam packed scenario being witnessed on every Eid. The heavy hearts couldn't celebrate the Eid in its usual joyous manner and stayed at home glued to their TV sets, mobile phones and laptops.
The second, rather more compelling element, which mellowed down the real colours of Eid, remained the universal pandemic of Covid-19 virus, which restricted the movements of people and deprived them of the centuries old tradition of frequenting the homes of the family and friends. The family outings in the recreational parks were also a missing element on this Eid as all the parks and recreational places were off-limits for the city dwellers including the Lahore Zoo, Minar-e-Pakistan (Greater Iqbal Park), Shahlimar and Lawrence Gardens, Jillani Park, Lahore Fort and many favorite hang-outs of the general public.
The artist community also took to the YouTube and Cable Networks to express their heartfelt sadness over the PIA plane tragedy and kept warning people to stay home and stay safe.