Monday, August 10, 2009

Hyderabad Gearing up for Ramadan

There is a lot of hustle justle going on around the city. Its like the silence before a storm. Very soon the roads are going to witness a sea of people around the city. The faithful are awaiting the sighting of the moon to begin fasting. Shops have renewed their stocks and awaiting customers. People are awaiting their paychecks. Businessmen are expecting an explosive turnover and a windfall of profits.

Foodies are awaiting haleem, the traditional flavour of Hyderabadi evenings. Brightly illuminated hotel fronts, buzz of a gathering, clanking spoons and a rejuvenating haleem disappearing in minutes from bowls is a common sight at almost every nook and corner.

The lip-smacking delicacy which has the city restaurants and eateries set up special counters and stalls to dish it out is the most popular draw for denizens during the month of Ramzan

People do not hesitate to travel from one end of the city to other to try different outlets around the city. Some people make it a point to have haleem every day at a new outlet and do not repeat the outlet.

Even the parcel service at most places has become popular and at times, those manning the counters can be seen struggling to manage the orders of packing and delivering.

Some of the most popular haleem spots of the city include hotels such as Naayab, Madina, Shaadab, Niagara, Rainbow and Paradise apart from other outlets such as Pista House and Kababish (the MD of Kababish is my friend :) ). Clusters of eateries at Punjagutta, Nampally, Madina and other places too have a good daily evening clientele that stretch till late hours.

Taraweeh, is the special prayers performed through the month of Ramadan. It begins about two hours after breaking the fast. It is the Sunnah prayers and the Huffaz (reciters of Quran) recite complete Quran at least once during the month of Ramadan in the Taraweeh. There are 30 chapters in the Quran and mosques have schedules according to the convenience and the schedules of nearby mosques. For example, if there are three mosques in a locality, one mosque would have a schedule of 3 chapters per day, second would have a schedule of 5 chapters per day, and the third would have a schedule of 1 or 1.25 chapters per day.

During the last 5 days of Ramdan, there would be special Taraweeh organized at certain mosques and community places where they would recite the whole Quran in one night in the prayers.

Last but not the least, the rich and well to do families become very generous during the month of Ramadan and distribute clothes, food, and sometimes even help poor relatives in building a home from the Zakat fund.

This month of Ramadan comes as a blessing for one and all. The rich get an opportunity to earn good deeds while the poor get their needs fulfilled. The faithful dedicate themselves to the prayers. The businessmen finish the month with swollen bank accounts. The kids would be happy too with the holidays and fun through the holy month. I wish all my readers a very happy and blessed Ramadan. Ramadan Kareem to all.

PS: I am gonna try to post pics of Ramadan in Hyderabad whenever I find time to.

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