Tears rolled down from every eye as Bhopalis thronged the Tajul Masajid transit point and the Raja Bhoj International Airport to witness the first Haj flight of the season to take off from the city. This was the fifth year when direct Haj flight took off from the State capital on Wednesday.
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 1,400 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 historical 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 would be Hajis, clad in an unstitched two piece fabric known as the Ihram, entered the airport to board Air India flight, 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.
The inaugural flight that took off with 234 pilgrims and crew marked the coming of age of city’s rich tradition of turning out to wave goodbye to the Haj pilgrims. The 233 pilgrims included 131 male and 102 females besides a Khadim ul Hujaj (volunteer) also departed in the first flight.