The moon has just been sighted and Salim and Noor Khan are already involved in overseeing preparations for the festival. Chaandraat today, as always, entails a hectic routine. " "My guests need not worry," says Noor, "as I am a vegetarian myself I make sure every year that the vegetarian preparations are made separate from the rest. My guests have always appreciated the fact that even common spoons are not used. As for sewain-- qimami and doodh waali sewain-- are regulars at my place."

Seemin Hai has not allowed the scare over khoya spoil her favourite preparation, "I have just been more careful in where I get my khoya from. Qimami sewain is incomplete without it. And then the doodh waali sewain which is preferred by others. "

In the old city area, the festivities have already started. Markets are shimmering with lights and the Nakkhas market prepares for night-long rush. Amir Naqi Khan, scion of Mehmoodabad, one of the few men whom you can talk to about recipes and calorie content alike, is getting set to give his traditional spread the right measure of opulence befitting his royal status. " At our place the Eid spread means pulao, qorma, kebabs khadey masoor ki daal and of course, several varieties of sewain. Care has been taken to ensure enough variety in the vegetarian section to ensure that visitors observing Navratras do not go disappointed. We have the typical qimami sewain, sewain ka muzaffar, sheer qorma all made in the traditional way by chefs whose families have served us over generations. "

Similar is the case with Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah who has started doling out instructions for the Sunday festivities already to his staff. "Yes, we are aware that Navratra may impose restrictions on our Hindu brethren who will be unable to enjoy non-veg delicacies. So we have made arrangements for veg kebabs, harey matar, chholey, dahi phulki along with non-veg delights to ensure they are not disappointed. The qimami sewain is of several types-- khushq, tar, with mewa spreads and balai toppings. And of course the sheer qorma is a must."

Giving tough competition to these seniors is a group of young hosts who may have entered the must-visit list in the Eid hospitality sector at a later date but have quickly made their way to the top rungs-- the households of Tazeen and Faisal Asad Husain and Farah and Rishad Rizvi fall in this category. Making the transition from gourmand to true blue gourmet, Faisal ensures his spread makes space for the Navratra clause. The stress is on sewains for the fasting feasting types. " We have sewain ka muzaffar and sherbati sewain-- which are a fav with my friends." At Rishad's place there is a third addition-- sheer qorma to the qimami and gili sewain. The usual non veg delights are there but as always chholey and veg kebabs add the veg flavour to the spread.

And how can one mention Eid spreads and forget Sangeeta and Yusuf Juno Khan whose Eid party continues well into the wee hours of the next day and has guests talking about the same for days. " There are always veg and non-veg items on the spread. And as for sewain-- we have sheer qorma and the sukhi sewain," Juno informs.

A new entry on this list is Syed Zahur Hasan Zaidi, who is all set to ensure his first Eid party in Lucknow does not go unnoticed. He speaks to us with daughter Zaina on his lap repeating his every word on the phone and giggling naughtily. “Yes, of course, we have made vegetarian arrangements for our guests. There will be veg kebabs and chholey and of course two sewain varieties-- qimami and doodh waali-- as usual.”

But the best response by far goes to Dr Arshia Zaheer. A perfect blend of modernity and tradition, she sighs over the Eid moon before letting you in on her secret," It was a lovely sight today. And puh-lease I am totally useless in the kitchen. I leave the cooking to my mom-in-law and mom. My fasting friends have informed me that Sunday's Eid will not be counted and I will have to repeat the feast for them after the Navratras are over. However Eid starts on chand raat for me and isn't complete without a 2 a.m. walk around Nakkhas haggling over bangles. It's just another thing to walk into a beauty parlour at 2 a.m. and get your eyes tweezed!"