Eid @ Maritime Museum

Poetry, art shows, competitions lined up for Eid

By Jamil Khan @ Gulf Today-Sharjah, November 18, 2010

A large number of families from different backgrounds enjoyed their evening at the Sharjah Maritime Museum after the Sharjah Museum Department began its Eid celebration on Wednesday.
The number of activities included folk art shows, poetry evening with poet Rashid Sharar, face painting for kids, competitions among youngsters and other activities as part of Sharjah Museum Department’s aim to provide entertainment opportunities along with enhancing awareness about the musuem through its activities.
Talking to The Gulf Today, visitors from different backgrounds said that the activities being held at the Sharjah Maritime Museum allowed them enjoy their day, spending time with family members at the museum.
Ahmed Sohail from Egypt said that it is one of the best spots in Sharjah to enjoy an evening out. “Today I am visiting the museum for the first time and I have brought all my family members along with me to enjoy the free entry into the museum, which is worth visiting,” he said.
He added that the outdoor activities that have been arranged, especially for children, are limited but he pointed out that his family still had an enjoyable time.
Aamir Saleh from Jordan said that they love the traditional music that went on during the event, adding that hoped that such activities will continue till late at night.
“I am planning to spend my evening here and listen to the poetry of Rashid Sharar,” he said.
Muslim families from other countries also gathered at the museum to take part in the various activities being organised.
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Eid Celebrations

Wrestlers engage in friendly matches on Eid

By Jamil Khan @ Gulf Today-Sharjah, November 18, 2010

While Eid Al Adha celebrations have been continuing throughout the Emirates as Muslims enjoy their weeklong holidays, some residents from the Subcontinent opted for a radically different way to mark the occasion.
For several years now, expatriates from Pakistan and India have been organising a number of tournaments of traditional wrestling ‘Kabadi’ in Sharjah and Dubai.
One such tournament was held at an open space along the shore near Deira Fish Market and pehalwans (professional wrestlers) from India and Pakistan enthralled the audience with their performance in a friendly match.
On the first day of Eid, several rounds of wrestling between Pakistani pehalwans  was held with thousands of expatriates attending the matches.
Wrestling is a popular sport in rural parts of Pakistan and India to the extent that many villages are recognised by their all-time favourite champions in wrestling.
Such matches are usually conducted on soft ground and contestants are not allowed to use anything else to help them during the tournament. The main goal for each contestant is to get their opponent to fall on the ground on his back. Traditional wrestlers are often required to work out on a regular basis to maintain their strength with the help of a healthy diet.
In some instances, the matches go on for a couple of hours as contestants are unable to defeat their opponent and bring the match to an end.
While talking to The Gulf Today, Muhammad Aslam, who has been organising several tournaments in Dubai for the last two decades, said the turn out on the first day of Eid was enormous. He explained that community members who attended the matches showed their support wholeheartedly for the contestants.
“On Wednesday, we had two prominent pehalwans from Pakistan and India who showed their muscles in the contest that was held at the Deira Fish Market in the evening.  Muhammad Javed is from Pakistan while the other contestant Ranjeet Singh is from Punjab, India. Both are widely known among their local communities and a large number of expatriates from both countries showed great interest in this game,” he explained.
According to Aslam, the match that was held between Javed and Singh was a friendly one and the expatriates who came for the match supported the event through their financial help as well as their support towards the wrestlers throughout the match, which was finally won by Singh.
He pointed out that expatriates from all over the UAE often came by for the matches that are a little reminder of activities that are usually held in their home countries.
“There are a couple of private organisations in Dubai, who always extend financial support to help us organise wrestling tournaments on prominent occasions such as Eid, National Day and other events. The winner of the match is awarded with a trophy and cash rewards,” he added.
Meanwhile, Javed, another organiser, siad that a similar event is also held every Eid in Sharjah near the Cricket Stadium, where pehalwans from Punjab, India take part with audience from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh visiting the area to watch the matches.
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