“Ammi called over one of our phuphis. She said, come over, and help me prepare Iftar. Normally, everyone in the mohalla gets invited over to attend Iftar when it is a child’s roza-kushai. But being constantly wound-up was Ammi’s nature — ‘bahut ulajhti theen woh’ — so she couldn’t tolerate too many people around the house for too long a time. You see, her polite way of telling off any guest who extended the welcome after tea was — ‘accha, phir aana. tumhare shauhar ka ghar aana ka waqt ho raha hai. bacche kiske bharosay hain ghar par? (Okay, come again some time. It’s time for your husband to return from work. Who have you left your kids with?)’
That evening, they prepared a lot of snacks which we distributed in the mohalla to all our neighbours.”
*roza-kushai: celebratory Iftar when a child observes the first roza of her life