Today kurta, churidar pajama, bangles, henna and a pair of shoes make up the minimum of a girl's Eid shopping list. As grannies tell the list has now shrank to a bare minimum six and it would further reduce to zero in times to come. Once the complete sola singhar used to be a must in the lengthy Eid shopping list for women.
All that could add up to the beauty of face and enhance the personality impact used to be in the list. Such inclusions would be all comprehensive and all impressive for those who would like to go through the list for no other purpose than to guess all about the attributes that were enough to declare that the age of innocence of a girl has begun to knock at the doors of maturity.
Strange were the ways of those women. Usually they had very little formal education and could read and write to a limited extent but had the capacity to observe and learn and unfold some of the mysteries of life better than men could do.
Through their experience they had learnt that prioritization of items in a sola singhar list was indicative of age of a girl. It was the reason elderly women would ask a girl to draw her own Eid shopping list and hand it over to them to arrange procurements in time.
Great care would be taken before handing over the list to mian sahib (head of the family). Either it would be altered or items contained in it would be included in the list of other articles that were needed for Eid. Mian sahib would not be given opportunity to apply his intellegence and discover truth about her daughters, sisters and other unmarried members of the family.
In noble families women would not go out for Eid shopping. Either the jeweller would come to the haveli with his collections or send through his representative the entire jewellry box containing the latest for selection by the women. Shopkeepers selling cloth and other articles would carry out similar exercises.
Once the selection had been made the needed item would be picked up. No price is settled by the women. Mian sahib would do it on an appropriate moment.
Seldom a seller would send reminder for payment. The nobility would take extreme care in money matters. A reminder would be like a slap in the face in public. Sellers and buyers both would ensure fairness in the deal.
Any argument (haggling) on price settlement would be considered below dignity and the men enjoying social position in the society because of being rich or hailing from landed aristocracy or placed in high position by virtue of their appointment as government official, would settle money matters at their earliest.
Grannies tell that the chand raat were devoted to giving final touches to all the clothes that have been stitched for Eid, apportioning fitra and placing it separate from other currencies. It is to be paid before Eid prayers.
After completing this exercise it is time to apply henna and some beauty pastes on the face, hands, neck and other body parts that are likely to remain exposed.
In between the preparation a quick visit to a nearby shopping area to get matching bangles is usually a must. Late night bangle shopping by a would-be groom has added attraction for the would-be bride. It has a message and a touch of romance that couples remember throughout their lives.
The other occasion that remains fresh in memories is the gift that a groom gives to his bride on nuptial night. It is on this occasion of Eid that many engagement rings are purchased and exchanged, marriage proposals are finalized, friends are remembered and family disputes settled.
Much water has flown under the bridge. Down the memory lane - just sixty years ago in the undivided Indian sub-continent Eid had a different meaning than what it has assumed today. Not restricted to Eid, festivals have changed their meanings and look like acts that robots perform. Artificiality has replaced simplicity and truthfulness. Let it be a happy Eid for all.