Old City throbs with Milad festive fervour

A boy looking at a holy reliec of Prophet MOhammed on display at a mosque in Old City in Hyderabad. - Photo: Asif Yar Khan

The Old City has come alive and is throbbing with colour and life.

With Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Mohammed, fast approaching, roads, lanes and bylanes across the south of the city are a beehive of activity.

While blood donation and poor-feeding camps and religions meetings are teeming with people ahead of the festival on Tuesday, houses and shops have been decked up colourfully with rows of serial bulbs and fancy lights.

On shopping spree

“Chinese-made fancy lights are in high demand,” Shaik Layeeq, a trader, says.

Troop Bazaar, the wholesale market for electrical goods, is buzzing with people descending in large numbers.

Replicas of religious places are on display in big numbers at Yakutpura, Engine Bowli, Rein Bazaar, Misrigunj, Hafeezbabanagar, Tappachabutra, Asifnagar and Golconda. Photo exhibitions are an added attraction.

Main procession

The main procession is planned from the Makkah Masjid on Tuesday which would culminate at Moghalpura grounds after traversing Gulzar Houz, Pathergatti, Salarjung Museum, Darulshifa, Miralam Mandi and Alijah Kotla.

More than 20,000 people are expected to take part in the procession.

Smaller processions are also scheduled from Yousufguda, Golconda, Secunderabad, Malakpet and Tappachabutra.

Several religious meetings are also being organised and the main programme is scheduled at Nizam College grounds by Tamir-e-Millat.

Security beefed up

Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, the police have deployed contingents of RAF, APSP and Quick Response Team apart from the Task Force and the civil police as part of the security arrangements for the festival.