Eid Adventures in Pakistan

Eid Adventures in Pakistan: "

Owais Mughal

(1) A Mechanized Swing or a Pendulum?

My son looked at this photo and asked me whether the swing will be able to move under the weight of crowd. I had no answer. I wanted to bring out the laws of physics in my defense and go into the details of oscillations and simple harmonic motion (pendulum) but kept quiet.

This photo is from Rawalpindi. Taken on September 22, 2009, it shows a crowd on a mechanized swing enjoying Eid festivities.

Some elderly person had once said that ‘Eid to asal bachoN ki hoti hai’ (Children enjoy Eid more) and I believe it is very true. There is no match to the genuine happiness and eagerness one sees on the faces of children on Eid-ul-fitr.

In this post I have put together a series of photos which show people celebrating Eid-ul-fitr across several cities in Pakistan. One can see quite a few daring scenes of enjoyment here.

(2) and Action !!

This is the same boat as seen in the photo above. It seems to be oscillating fine, even under heavy weight.

(3) Safe Landing in Quetta?

Following photo is taken on the first day of Eid in Quetta. I chose this photo for its details. Just take a moment to appreciate quite a few things going on here. Note how the girls are dressed similarly in pairs. Note how there is a piece of mat under the first two knees of the camel. Is it by chance? or is the camel trained enough to place his knees on the mat? There are quite a few onlookers, conscious of being on camera but the camel controller seems oblivious to it. He is more concerned about business and safe landing of the desert’s DC10 aka camel.

(4) The Swing Complex in Quetta

Following photo is taken on the first day of Eid in Quetta. I chose this photo for its details too. Note this series of swings made from bamboos. It can be a part of an Eid mela where these swings have been constructed temporarily.

Note how an elder guy is trying to get into a basket shaped swing (second swing from the right). Also note a bicycle lying flat on the ground, next to this swing. It most likely belongs to the gentleman who is trying to get into the basket swing.

On Swing # 3, the rider seems to be doing sideways tricks.

(5) Tail-gating in Hyderabad

Following photo is taken on the first day of Eid in Hyderabad. Venue is the famous Rani Bagh of Hyderabad. I chose this photo because I thought it was simply cute.

Photo Credits:

All photos are taken from the Associated Press of Pakistan. Photographers are Irshad Sheikh for Photo # 1 and 2, Mohsin Naseer for photo # 3 and 4 and Farhan Khan for Photo # 5.