The “baccha” party
The “baccha” party. Usually found huddled in corners of the mosque before prayers, as whispers and dull thuds during prayers, and scampering exits after prayers.
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Reshma
“I was a lot younger then, maybe around eight years old. In the afternoon, Ammi and Appi asked me to drink water and break my fast. They felt that I was too young to keep a full day’s fast, and said it was okay if I couldn’t complete it. But I didn’t. It wasn’t…
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First time Nihari
Off for Taraweeh prayers, while this bowl of Nihari waits for my return. While in Delhi, it’s usual to have it with tandoori roti, it’s the qulcha in these parts. Which interestingly, is nothing like the kulcha that’s had with matar as a quick lunch-snack under a tree’s shade in Delhi. Let’s hope I have…
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Community affair
Most shopkeepers and business owners end up breaking their fast at their establishments. Iftar is a community affair, so is offering Maghrib prayers.
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Lemon life
When life gives you lemons…you probably forgot to look at the plums behind your back. Of all fruits, it’s probably the guava which is most missed at each Iftar. For what is a fruit chat minus the soft fleshiness with right tartness amrood.
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You say Potato
Trouble with the potato is its ubiquity. Have a look at the spread of snacks at any do, and chances are a third of the ingredients would be potato. Baked, fried, dried, boiled. Which brings back to the trouble. Every potato snack that’s local to some place in India isn’t unique to that region alone….
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Birthday cake
Yeah yeah, cake isn’t exactly Iftari. But then, what the what when there’s a birthday or two in the family. That’s chocolate and orange and peaches and plum. Yum.
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Soot Pheni
The first day of fasting has come to an end. As is customary, it involved a test of courage while navigating through the dastarkhwaan laid out for Iftar. I wanted to be left in a state where the casual stroll to the mosque for Maghrib prayers wouldn’t feel impossible. The time between Maghrib and Ish’a stays difficult….
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Ramadan Mubarak 2015
The earliest memories of Ramadan are from a punishing summer. When the comfort of an air conditioned environment wasn’t there. Even coolers weren’t as available or affordable then. Where they were, the supplied power didn’t have enough voltage most of the time to make them of any use. Towels drenched in water were shields against…
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A Missed Journey: Ramadan 2013 Day 28
Cushioned by the pillow and mattress, it took a while before the phone’s buzzing woke me up. It had gone silent by the time I reached out for it, and saw through a squinted half open eye that it was one of my cousin brothers who had called. Seeing the time on the phone’s clock,…