Milad-un-Nabi procession at Charminar (Photo: Anand Dharmana)
Hyderabad: A joyous atmosphere prevailed across the city on Thursday, as thousands of youngsters took out processions coinciding with Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Mohammed. Five major processions including one organized by the Sunni United Forum of India (SUFI) were taken out from different places in the old city.
The biggest procession started from Engine Bowli, passing through Shamsheergunj, Aliabad, Shahalibanda, Charminar, Madina building, Darulshifa, Mandi Mir Alam and culminated at Volta Hotel junction. A large number of smaller processions joined the bigger one en route.
The processions are usually organised on Milad-un-Nabi, which falls on the 12 of Rabi ul Awal, the third month of Hijri calendar, and this year it corresponded to September 16 (Monday). However, given the final Ganesh immersion procession on Tuesday, the organisers decided to take out the procession on Thursday.
To mark the occasion, the streets were decorated with serial bulbs and youngsters participated in bike rallies taken out from many localities including Vattepally, Kalapather, Teegalkunta, Hafez Baba Nagar, Shaheehnagar, Ghousenagar, Noori Nagar, Bandlaguda, Hassan Nagar, Errakunta and Tallabkatta.
Holding flags, the bikers moved around the old city since Wednesday night shouting slogans. To participate in the festivities youngsters from a few districts of adjoining Maharashtra and Karnataka also visited the city. Food camps were arranged all around the old city on Thursday and some people distributed sweets and confectionery along the procession route. Local youth organisations set up podiums on the procession route to greet and welcome the participants.
Hyderabad Commissioner of Police C V Anand visited the old city and reviewed the security arrangements. As a precautionary measure the Rapid Action Force and Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force were deployed alongside the local police.