Relatives saying goodbye under the rain

Relatives of Hadj pilgrims wave within the rain, as they see off their relatives who are leaving Ahmedabad for Mecca in Saudi Arabia to take part in the annual spiritual hadj journey. The primary batch of 450 hadj pilgrims set out on Thursday for the annual pilgrim's journey to Mecca, the holiest site for Muslims.

A total of 6,800 pilgrims from the Gujarat state are expected to perform this year's ritual.

Picture: Amit Dave/Reuters