Two people embrace each other at the secretariat in Dhaka on Wednesday on the first working day after the Eid holiday. — Sanaul Haque

Solemnity and religious fervour marked the celebrations of Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest festival of the Muslims, in the country on Monday after a month of fasting.
Heavy showers in the capital and many places across the country on the Eid day and the following day could not mar the festivity; people rather welcomed the rain after days of sultry weather.
The Eid was peaceful, with no major unpleasant incidents occurring during the Eid holidays.
The major Eid congregations were held at different
grounds and in open spaces in the capital defying drizzles but in the coastal areas the congregations were held inside mosques due to inclement weather.
People, especially children and the young ones, prepared for the celebrations since Sunday night with enthusiasm after 30 days of restrain during Ramadan.
The capital already wore a deserted look as several million people left the city to celebrate Eid with their families in outlying areas braving the hassles of travel, compounded this year by the run-down condition of roads and highways.
Besides celebrating the festival with near and dear ones, vacationers swarmed the tourist retreats of Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban and Patuakhali.
The spots were full to the brim the day after the Eid, Tuesday, with huge number of tourists. The hotels and motels were abuzz with crowd even in this off-season.
The Dhaka South City Corporation and the Dhaka North City Corporation arranged 361 Eid congregations at 90 wards of the city.
The main congregation was held in the National Eidgah. Baitul Mukarram khatib Maulana Muhammad Salahuddin led the prayer.
The president, Zillur Rahman, ministers, MPs, Supreme Court judges, politicians and elite of the city attended the congregation at the National Eidgah. Five congregations were held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.
About four lakh people joined the congregation at Sholakia Eidgah in Kishoreganj which organised the 185th congregation there this year.
Muslims all over the country sought divine blessings for the welfare and progress of the people and the country.
President Zillur Rahman, prime minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leader Khaleda Zia exchanged Eid greetings with a cross-section of people and foreign diplomats at Bangabhaban, Ganabhaban and Escaton Ladies’ Club respectively.
The capital was decorated with miniature replicas of the national flag and banners reading Eid Mubarak. A number of government buildings were illuminated.
The streets, however, were free from the usual traffic congestion. Cheerful children in colourful attires roamed around the city.
Some were seen enjoying the rain on the Eid day by travelling on foot or in rickshaw. Many people, especially children, rushed to the parks and zoos to enjoy the day.
The state-run Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar, and other private television and radio channels aired special programmes and the newspapers carried special editions to mark one of the biggest days on Islamic calendar.
Poor children were allowed in government amusement parks and museums without ticket on the day.
Special food was served in hospitals, jails, government-owned children’s shelter homes and other welfare centres and shelter homes for the destitute.
Entertainment and cultural programmes, sports events and gatherings of children were organised in different districts.
Newspapers brought out special supplements and the electronic media aired special programmes on the occasion.
Improved diets were served at hospitals, children’s homes and jails.
Different law enforcement agencies took up special security measures and intensified surveillance at important points to avoid any untoward incidents.
Several villages of Chittagong, Noakhali, Bhola, Patukhali, Munshiganj, Madaripur, Lakshmipur, Dinajpur, Narayanganj, Barguna, Barisal and Chandpur, however, celebrated the festival on Sunday in an isolated way in line with the sighting of the Shawal moon in Saudi Arabia.