Seventeen-year-old Haseeb Shafi regrets not being able to go home to Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion of Eid. She and her fellow girl students marked the day by offering prayers at Eidgah mosque in Kota. "I observed Roza on as many days as I could during the auspicious month of Ramzan," Shafi said.
Over 300 students from Kashmir, mostly girls, are enrolled in coaching centres in Kota where they are preparing for medical and engineering examinations. As the holy day of Eid arrived, several among them said they were homesick and wanted to be with their families in J-K. "I missed my family and was homesick... but, for the sake of studies, I tolerated it," said 18-year-old Rizvana from Kulgam in Kashmir Valley.
Rizvana, who is undergoing coaching in Kota for medical entrance tests, said that she got together with some girls from her hometown and prepared 'Siwainya' (sweet noodles) for Eid at their hostel. Another student, Sania Khan (19), regretted missing out on the special Eid preparation called 'Kahwa' a blend of hot water with saffron and noodles.
"Kahwa is tough to prepare, so we could not prepare it in Kota," she said. Sweet memories of Eid celebrations with her family back home continued to fill her thoughts, Sania said. Some of the coaching institutes in Kota had made special arrangements for these students to feel at home on Eid.
Naveen Mashawari, director of a renowned coaching school in Kota, said they had arranged an iftar party during Ramzan for their Kashmiri students. But the longing for home was strong among all Kashmiri students at festival time, not least because of the delicious fare they were having to miss.
Nafisa (18), who is preparing for engineering entrance, said that the day after Eid, tasty non-vegetarian preparations are made that include dishes like Yakhni, Goshtaba and Kabab. These dishes would not be available in Kota, she said, adding that they had sacrificed on celebrating Eid at home for the sake of their studies.
Interestingly, Eid was celebrated all over India on Friday but in Kota region it was celebrated on Saturday as the moon on Thursday evening was not visible in Kota due to thick clouds and heavy rainfall.
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