Dehradun, September 11
Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated with gaiety in the city today. The devout that had been observing a month-long fasting ritual offered prayers at Idgah and other mosques of the city on Eid.

Muslim men of all age groups gathered at the mosques at the designated time in the morning and had a humbling experience of bowing down before the Almighty wishing goodness for the entire humanity.

The prayers then culminated in people hugging each other and wishing “Eid Mubarak”. They also exhibited a streak of compassion by donating bits to the poor who stood to gain from the benevolence of devotees and celebrate the festival with the collected sum.

The kids too came all dressed up for the occasion with embroidered apparels. They fascinated photo-journalists who clicked them while participating with the elders in following the rituals of offering prayers or embracing each other.

Be it the elders or the kids, they indulged in buying their favourite items, be it balloons, playthings, holy books, religious posters etc.

Later, they felicitated the guests with scumptious delicacies. The celebration went on unabated the whole day. 

Mussoorie, September 11
The holi festival of Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated with fervour and gaiety in the hill town of Mussoorie marking the end of Ramzan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The festivities began with the community members converging at all five mosques of the town for prayers and sought peace and harmony in the country.

Then they wished “Eid Mubarak” by hugging each other on the occasion. Children dressed in colourful attires also wished each other on the occasion. Markets did a brisk business and sweet shops were crowded.

It is believed that on this day Muslims are summoned by God in the Quran to complete their fast on the last day of Ramzan and then recite God's praises throughout the period of Eid.

The month of Ramzan is historically associated with two important victories of Prophet Mohammad, the battle of Badr and the conquest of Mecca.

The festival is significant as much for its timing as for its religious implications. Various types of entertainment, ceremonies and feasting are arranged during this period as it is exclusively meant to dedicate oneself to Allah and show devotion by prayers at all prescribed times, reciting the Quran and celebrating the nights with feasts and family get- togethers.

The community members also devoted their time towards charity and giving alms to the poor during Ramzan.

Platters of delicious cuisines were prepared in every Muslim household across the town.

Haridwar, September 11
After one-month-long of observing fast in the holy month of Mah-e-Ramzan, the pious festival of Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated in the district with gaiety and fervour giving the message of peace, harmony and love.

Attired in traditional costumes, the Muslim community offered the holy namaz at various mosques situated across the district, particularly at the Jama Masjid situated in the midst of Jwalapur, where the Eid festive atmosphere had gripped for the past few days.

Devotees offering the namaz wished each other “Eid mubarak” by hugging each other, while traditional sweets added more sweetness to the festivities. Special harmony was also witnessed as people from other religions wished Muslims on the occasion by going to their homes and eating sweet dishes.

"Mostly people think of Haridwar as a predominant Hindu pilgrim city only, but it's quite surprising that other religion people also reside here amicabily, particularly the Muslims. I went to my colleague’s house at BHEL where tasty dishes were prepared. As Ganesh Chaturthi festival too commenced from today, the city is looking like a classic example of communal harmony and brotherhood," said Kuldeep Gusain, ITC employee from Shivalik Nagar.

The Eidgah Committee thanked all devotees who attended the prayers as well as those who gave donation to the mosque. Member of Parliament from Haridwar Harish Rawat wished all people on occasion of Eid.

District Magistrate of Haridwar R Meenakshi Sundaram and Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Gunjiyal also attended a function at Roshanabad organised on Id. Both shared light moments with the Muslims.

Apart from the Jwalapur Mosque, Chowk Bazar-situated Shahi Mosque, Masjid Darjiyan, Masjid Ghosiyan, Maidaniyan, Ghosian Mosque, Kassaban, Ahbab Nagar, BHEL and other mosques, namaz was offered by devotees in large numbers.

Rural areas having sizeable Muslim community like Laldhang, Roshanabad, Lakshar, Ibrahimpur, Dhanauri, Anneki, Sultanpur, Pathri, Ferupur, Katarpur, Missirpur, Jagjeetpur, Jasaddpur, Bodahedi, Gadowali, Dhanpura, Badshahpur, Saray and Mohammedpur also celebrated the festival with reverence. 

Dehradun, September 11
A procession with a chariot carrying the idol of Lord Ganesha was taken out from the Bengali Library to the Rajpur Road Raj Plaza on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi here today.

At the Library, artistes from Kolkata come to make the idol of Ganesha every year.

People decorated as well offered garlands to the idol. They danced and raised slogans of “Ganpathi Bappa Morya!” as the idol of the lord was placed on the chariot.

They all carried out a tableau in which Rajpur MLA Ganesh Joshi and BJP Mahanagar Minister Govardhan Bhardwaj also took part. The devotees then placed the idol of Lord Ganesha for worshipping for the next 10 days.

Haridwar, September 11
The 12-day-long festival of Ganesh Chaturthi began today with devotees offering a special puja at home and city temples. Devotees, as part of the ritual of this festival, today established idols of Lord Ganesha at various temples, ashrams, dharmshalas, special puja pandals and places across the city.

From now till Ganesh Chaturthi, special pujas and rituals will be held on a daily basis till the immersion of the idols in the Ganga river. All temples, where Ganpati puja is being offered along with the idol establishment, have been decorated beautifully.

While performing rituals, the atmosphere reverberated with “Ganpathi Bappa Morya” and other names of Lord Ganesha. People belonging to Maharashtra, where Ganpati Mahotsava is celebrated on a large scale and with great fervour, were seen quite involved in the Ganeshotsav preparations and rituals.

Alongside Id-ul-Fitr festival, the Ganpatti Bappa Mahotsav lent a unique, religious colour to the pilgrim city.

Nainital, September 11
Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated with traditional gaiety and fervour here today. Following the sighting of the moon signifying the end of fasting during the holy month of Ramzan, hundreds of Muslims gathered at the Flats Grounds outside the Jama Masjid to offer the traditional namaz.

The Lake Town wore a colourful look throughout the day as people from all faiths went about wishing their Muslim friends. Fortunately, the sky was clear and the prayers were held amidst bright sunshine. Hundreds of non-Muslims had gathered near the Flats Grounds waiting for the namaz to be over so that they could greet their friends who were praying. Those selling balloons, toys etc did brisk business as children went around buying these articles with the Eidi given to them by their elders.

A large number of Muslims also proceeded to the graveyard to pray for the deceased in their family and their ancestors. The unique thing about Eid prayers in Nainital is that they are held in a ground surrounded by a mosque on one side and a temple, a gurdwara and a Methodist church on the other side, thus offering a brilliant example of communal harmony. Ironically, despite there being a considerable population of Muslims in the town and its adjoining areas, Nainital does not have an Idgah for special Eid prayers

Dehradun, September 11
Hosts St Joseph Academy defeated Col Brown 2-0 in the final to annex the title of the Senior Council Football Tournament that concluded today.

The final match that was played in the rain saw a good crowd. The match witnessed a close contest between the two rivals, particularly in the first half.

Good attempts were made at the goals in the first half, but failed to bear fruit.

However, the host team, cheered by the crowd, raised their game in the next half. They played aggressively and dominated the second half.

Tenzin of St Joseph sent the team and the spectators into jubilation when he struck the first goal in the 54th minute. Col Brown players made some good moves to equalise, but to no avail.

Prabhanshu Gairola (58th) of SJA found the target to complete the tally for the winners.

Principal of Hilton School and President of the Dehradun Council School Association David Hilton and organising secretary AK Sharma distributed the prizes.

Dehradun, September 11
St Thomas’ College got the better of Doon International School 31-15 in a league match of the ongoing sixth Gardner Silver Jubliee Inter-School Basketball Tournament for Girls here today.

Nidhi scored maximum points for the winning team. She scored 10 points, while Khushboo helped her side Doon International School with six points.

In the second league match of the day, The Aryan School defeated The Hertiage School 20-8. Laldin was the top scorer with six points. Anjali of the Heritage School contributed four points in total of eight points of the team score, but it went in vain.

Meanwhile, in the last match of today, Welham Girls School scored an easy triumph of 45-18 over Wyneberg Allen School. Riya (14 points) played an important role in the win. Vanilla (six points) of the losing side chipped in with six points.