The first flight for the Haj 2015 boarding 266 pilgrims took off about two and half hour behind schedule from the Raja Bhoj International Airport of the Bhopal on Sunday.
Tears streamed down every cheek, as Bhopalites thronged the Taj-ul-Masajid transit point and the Raja Bhoj Airport to witness the first Haj flight take off from the city.
The emotional charge was unmistakable as some hugged relatives and friends - embarking on the pilgrimage, while others standing at a distance wept bitterly for penance and divine intervention that could see them retrace the footsteps of the holy Prophet, who undertook the journey to the holy twin cities of Mecca and Medina some 1400 years ago.
The traffic outside the majestic mosque remained disrupted as the pilgrim buses, reverberating with the chants of labbaik Allahumma labbaik. labbaik, la Shareek laka, labbaik. Innal Hamdah, Wan Nematah, laka wal Mulk, la Shareek laka labbaik, (Here I am at thy service O lord, here I am. Here I am at thy service and thou hast no partners. Thine alone is all praise and all bounty, and thine alone is the sovereignty. Thou hast no partners, here I am), wove their way through the city streets to make it way to the airport.
The buses were followed by a motley cavalcade of vehicles that was as diverse as those driving them.
In a stark contrast to some gleaming cars that seemed to have been polished for the occasion, the motorcade also included some rickety and ramshackle two wheelers that desperately strained their engines to keep pace.
Emotions outside the airport was that of confusion as men, women and children oscillated between jubilation and a visible melancholy at seeing the Hajis, clad in an unstitched two piece fabric known as the Ihram, entered the airport to board NasAir Flight XY8843, as security men outside had a tough time, dealing with the sea of emotional people, who had tears in their eyes and prayers on their lips.