Cox’s Bazar, March 29, 2025
“Eid in my homeland was not just a festival. It was a feeling—a feeling of home, togetherness, and happiness.”
With these poignant words, a young Rohingya writer, Mohammed Idrish, captured what many feel but struggle to articulate: the aching memory of Eid once celebrated in the green hills of Arakan, now only lingering in exile.
This year, Rohingya Khobor launched a special online writing competition titled “Eid in the Homeland,” inviting Rohingya youth and adults to reflect on what Eid means in the shadow of displacement. Writers could submit memory-based or imaginative essays—either recalling their personal experiences of Eid in Myanmar or envisioning what Eid would be like if celebrated there today.
Powerful Participation from the Community
The response was overwhelming. 47 entries were submitted from refugee camps and beyond, although a number were duplicate submissions or AI-generated, which were disqualified after careful screening. Ultimately, 29 unique and heartfelt essays made it to the final round.
Each essay was a window into a world lost, yet deeply remembered. For some, it was the smell of sweet semay and Luri Fidá from their mother’s kitchen; for others, the bitter silence in the camps on Eid morning was a stark reminder of a homeland out of reach.
Meet the Winners: Three Voices of a Scattered Nation
After detailed review by the editorial board, three writers were selected as winners—not just for their language, but for their ability to evoke a whole world in a few paragraphs.
Mohammed Anower – Imaginative Category
His essay reads like a lyrical prayer:
“If we could celebrate Eid in our homeland, it would be a day of healing… a day where the pain of displacement would fade, even if just for a moment.“
Anower’s writing stands out for its balance between heartbreak and hope. In portraying children “playing in the dusty alleys of the camp… trying to reclaim some semblance of childhood joy,” he reminds us of the resilience still beating in exile.
Hf. Kamal Hussain – Memory-Based Category
Kamal’s narrative is a quiet masterpiece, rich with texture:
“My elder brothers sat outside, sharing stories with neighbors, their laughter blending with the distant call of the mosque…“
Through memories of Thanaka-smeared faces and Eid prayers under the golden morning light, his piece captures a world where simplicity was sacred.
Mohammed Faysal – Memory-Based Category
Faysal’s account is a detailed cultural archive—from the bustling Eid bazaars of Arakan to the taste of Guhnna Semai and Gustor Salom.
“When we reached the Eid prayer field, I saw thousands of people gathered, all wearing their best clothes…“
His recollections make the reader feel as if they, too, were once there.
Though only three could win, a few entries deserve special mention for their emotional weight and original insight:
Honourable Mentions: Writers Who Moved Us
- Syedul Mostafa offered a sociological lens in his piece “Rohingya Eid Celebrations: A Journey from Homeland to Exile,” tracing how joy was replaced by survival, yet tradition still flickers in the camps.
“They may have lost their land, but they have not lost their identity.“
- Mohammed Ayas blended poetry and pain:
“Not the same fabric of exile… the sky would shine with Eid lights, not with the flames of burning shelters.“
- Mohammed Idrish, through soft, cinematic memories, reminded us:
“The kitchen, usually a quiet place, turned into a festival of its own…“
His narrative made Eid in Myanmar feel close enough to touch.
A Festival, A Memory, A Prayer
This competition was more than a literary contest. It became a collective testimony of a people’s yearning—for home, for dignity, for a prayer unbroken by barbed wires and bamboo shelters.
As one young writer declared:
“Eid is Eid when you have everything. But Eid is nothing when you don’t have anything.“
Yet even in “having nothing,” the Rohingya spirit continues to create, to write, to remember—and above all, to hope.
All three winning pieces will be published in full on RohingyaKhobor.com in the coming week. The winners will receive a prize and commemorative crest as a small tribute to their big voices.
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