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The lost art of Eid greeting cards
AOWN ALI
Eidul Fitr celebrations come in a multitude of unique forms in our society. As the month of Ramazan approaches its last leg, markets all across the country are glittered with Eid paraphernalia: confectionery, clothes, bangles, mehendi– all typical associations with this festive occasion.
However, one particular trend has dwindled over the years: the practice of sending out Eid cards.
It was once a routine for most families to spend time appropriately selecting, purchasing, writing and posting Eid greeting cards to friends and families. But now, it has become a rarity.
Salutation of a young girl to her elder sister. Eid card printed by Eastern Commercial Agency, Bombay.
Especially for children. Eid card produced by Shabbar T. Corp. Bombay.
Especially for children. Eid card produced by Shabbar T. Corp. Bombay.
While the custom of Eid greetings has not entirely vanished, the mode has changed. People neither get the time to visit card stalls like before, nor line up for the postage. On the eve and day of Eid, mobile phones services, however, do experience a sudden onslaught of heavy traffic owing to a blitz of Eid wishes being SMSed back and forth.
In this era of mobile and social media connectivity, where handwritten letters have lost their utility, it is be interesting to revisit the trend of Eid cards, particularly in its early days, when the practice was first introduced to our region.
For that purpose, we have selected some unique examples from the collections of Yousuf Saeed, a filmmaker, author and archivist based in Delhi; Ally Adnan, a Dallas, USA-based engineer; writer and antique collector and Omar Khan who is running Imagesofasia.com, a collection of vintage postcards and lithographs.
In the Indian subcontinent, the tradition of sending greeting cards on Eid started in the late 19th century. Although many well-off Muslim families were, since centuries, accustomed to sending calligraphic and artistically decorated greeting messages on Eid, the mass availability of Eid cards and its mailing by post originated only by the late decades of 19th century.
We presume there are two reasons behind that: the expansion of the railway network and the advent of new printing facilities.
Eid card distributed by Hafiz Qamruddin & Sons, Lahore.
The railway network had increased to 25000 km in 1880 from just 34 km in 1853, when the first passenger train service was inaugurated in India. With the expansion of railway, people began travelling far away from their homes, for employment and business. It also improved the postal service. And the relatively advanced printing facilities revolutionised the trend of Eid cards in terms of quality of production and availability.
AOWN ALI
Eidul Fitr celebrations come in a multitude of unique forms in our society. As the month of Ramazan approaches its last leg, markets all across the country are glittered with Eid paraphernalia: confectionery, clothes, bangles, mehendi– all typical associations with this festive occasion.
However, one particular trend has dwindled over the years: the practice of sending out Eid cards.
It was once a routine for most families to spend time appropriately selecting, purchasing, writing and posting Eid greeting cards to friends and families. But now, it has become a rarity.
Salutation of a young girl to her elder sister. Eid card printed by Eastern Commercial Agency, Bombay.
Especially for children. Eid card produced by Shabbar T. Corp. Bombay.
Especially for children. Eid card produced by Shabbar T. Corp. Bombay.
While the custom of Eid greetings has not entirely vanished, the mode has changed. People neither get the time to visit card stalls like before, nor line up for the postage. On the eve and day of Eid, mobile phones services, however, do experience a sudden onslaught of heavy traffic owing to a blitz of Eid wishes being SMSed back and forth.
In this era of mobile and social media connectivity, where handwritten letters have lost their utility, it is be interesting to revisit the trend of Eid cards, particularly in its early days, when the practice was first introduced to our region.
For that purpose, we have selected some unique examples from the collections of Yousuf Saeed, a filmmaker, author and archivist based in Delhi; Ally Adnan, a Dallas, USA-based engineer; writer and antique collector and Omar Khan who is running Imagesofasia.com, a collection of vintage postcards and lithographs.
In the Indian subcontinent, the tradition of sending greeting cards on Eid started in the late 19th century. Although many well-off Muslim families were, since centuries, accustomed to sending calligraphic and artistically decorated greeting messages on Eid, the mass availability of Eid cards and its mailing by post originated only by the late decades of 19th century.
We presume there are two reasons behind that: the expansion of the railway network and the advent of new printing facilities.
Eid card distributed by Hafiz Qamruddin & Sons, Lahore.
The railway network had increased to 25000 km in 1880 from just 34 km in 1853, when the first passenger train service was inaugurated in India. With the expansion of railway, people began travelling far away from their homes, for employment and business. It also improved the postal service. And the relatively advanced printing facilities revolutionised the trend of Eid cards in terms of quality of production and availability.
