It’s a day of reward, marked by an infectious festive spirit: Daanish Khan on Eid

Dubai-based event planner Daanish Khan is celebrating Eid with his family in Mumbai. He, along with his wife, Umarah Naushad Ali have flown down from Dubai for the festivities. Sharing his plans, he said, “This will be our first Eid after my marriage, so we want to be with our close friends, family, and well-wishers to mark this special occasion.”

“We’re in Mumbai to celebrate Eid. Being there with family and friends means a lot to us, to both our families, as this will be a cherished memory for our entire lives. It’s the first Eid after our wedding, so it holds extra significance for us,” he added.

Eid holds a very important place for him, and he says it’s a day of reward marked by an infectious festive spirit. “It is akin to a grand culmination after a month of fasting. For me, Eid is not just a celebration; it’s a deeply significant occasion. It’s the time when I eagerly return to India to reunite with my loved ones and partake in the joyous festivities of Eid-ul-Fitr,” he said.

“Being with family and friends, sharing meals together, and eagerly awaiting the exchange of gifts and ‘Idiya’(known as Eidi in India) are cherished traditions,” he added.

He also shared that his fondest memories of Eid revolve around the joy of receiving Idiya and indulging in delicious biryanis and sheer khurma. “The anticipation of my uncle’s arrival, bearing gifts and blessings, added an extra layer of excitement to the celebrations. His presence and generosity symbolized the spirit of giving and unity that define Eid for me. Each year, we eagerly awaited his arrival, knowing that his blessings would enrich our festivities even more. I have with my uncle is that he was actually a producer who had produced two movies before. We would get the highest remuneration from my uncle Jeffrey,” he said.

“Then we would go and buy whatever gifts we wanted. When I was small, the most memorable item was something called a Sega Mega Drive, and Sega Drives were like video game consoles. So with that money, we went and bought those video games. Nowadays, it’s Ps and X box and other gaming gadgets , but being born in the nineties, kids from that era would have nostalgia for these video games that used to be there. So I have the best memory of buying cassettes and games from him,” he added.

Daanish also confessed that Eid is always centered around biryani for him. “When it comes to Eid, there’s nothing else we think of other than Biryani, Sheer Khurma, and Sevaiyan, which have been essential, ingrained traditions in our household since my birth, and there’s no changing that. All my friends, the ones who’ve been with me for years, gather at my place to savor the biryanis,” he concluded.