Festival celebrations in northeast send out message of peace and harmony

A large number of Muslims from all over Tripura gathered at Gedu Mia Mosque in Agartala to offer morning prayers on the eve of Eid-ul-Zuha.

They exchanged greetings and emphasized on spreading the message of love and peace.

On the occasion, border security guards of India and Bangladesh came together and celebrated the festival together, presenting an example of bonhomie and unity.

"Basically, I am from Kolkata and posted here at Salbagan. I came to participate in Eid prayer. We want to spread the message of peace as Islam stands for peace. There is a bad image about Islam that spreads terror but this is not true and all are not bad. Islam means peace so I want all people to live in peace," said a Muslim devotee MD Jamal Uddin.

In Jorhat city, Muslims gathered in large numbers at various mosques to take part in the mass prayers.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also offered prayer at Na-Ali Iqdah mosque in Titabor.

"Because of wrong interpretation of the philosophy, basic principle of religion sometime we do fight each other; we want to remove the differences and misunderstanding," said Gogoi.

Like the rest of the country, Northeast region is in the grip of festival season. Recently, Durga Puja was also celebrated with grandeur and gaiety in the northeastern states.

The streets of Agartala bore a festive look with colorful lights, intricately designed marquees and people beating drums.

Not just Hindus but people from all religions participated in the celebrations, showcasing a perfect example of unity.

The Indian and Bangladeshi border guards also exchanged greetings and sweets on the occasion at the Akhaura land port in the Agartala-Brahminbaria border.

"We have a great relation with them (BSF) and every evening we meet and jointly participate in the flag retreat programme. We do not have any problem. During Durga puja we also exchange greetings and sweets. The relation between the two nations is also very good and friendly," said Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Official Ashroof.

In Assam also, the festival was celebrated with much fervor as people came out in hordes to enjoy the festivities.

In Guwahati city alone, around 500 puja pandals were set up and one of the most unique pandal was made of the big dead tree and giving the message of 'Save tree and Rhino'.

During the festival, people offered prayers to goddess Durga and wished for a prosperous future.

"During Durga puja festival, normally we do puja and we have been doing this so everybody knows that but this time we want to do something different and also want to send out a social message so that we can have better future. This time we have target on two things, one is to protect environment and other one is to save wild animal," said Organizer Prashanta Bose.

People are now preparing for Diwali, the festival of lights, which falls on October 23. The markets are bustling as people are busy buying decorative items and gifts.