Day before yesterday just at the time of Iftaar (breaking fast) a friend came to me. I felt happy that despite deadly distances of Delhi, at least some friend of mine thought that he could break fast in our house. You are aware that I live in Delhi almost lonely. The area I live is very far from the places where the real gatherings of pomp and show of Ramazan could be seen. People continue eating something or the other after Iftaar. I mean the areas of Old Delhi and Jamia Milliah Islamia. When one visits these places, his faith becomes refreshed. Although I have a Mosque in our locality from where prayer calls are heard regularly, the sound of siren for breaking fast (Iftaar) comes from a rather far off place.
The announcement of the expiry of Sehri (Pre-dawn meal during fasting month of Ramazan) time could also clearly be heard, but I am habituated to the Ramazan of busy market. There was a time when I used to live in such a locality in Hyderabad where my house was surrounded by so many mosques nearby, such that my house used to be echoed with the melodious voices of the Muazzines (those who shout the call to prayers). In the background of all these sounds, I myself used to wake up for Sehri. Inspite of this, there used be some such selfless person who used to go door to door to peoples’ houses and used to perform the virtuous act of waking up persons for Sehri. There was a person who used to keep a long bamboo with them. With the slogan “Wake up for Sehri” he used to awaken the fasting person with the help of the bamboo. I usually used to sleep in the drawing room, the windows of which used to be kept open. Many a time, he used to introduce the bamboo into the window and he used to hit my feet with it so that I could wake up completely. Even then, his heart never used to get satisfied because while going back after waking up the fasting people of the street and when saw the bed unoccupied, he used to knock at the door and used to ask “Sir-! Are you awake or went inside to sleep on another bed”. (Imagine what an expert he was in indentifying people) In short, Ramazan used to be visible everywhere. Anyone who did not observe fast, as a mark of respect, he also used to keep his face as if he is fasting without eating anything for Sehri.
I may recall that many years ago, I used to be the manager of Intekhab Press. During that time a person came to the press in connection with the printing of his book. He was having a beard and he had a bright face. I repent that I was not fasting that day because the elderly person who used to wake up people, with the help of a bamboo suddenly fell ill. He, therefore could not come for waking up the fasting persons. Since I was habituated to wake up only with the help of the bamboo, I could not observe fast on that day. Well -! I continued talking to the person who had come for getting his book printed. He had to return to Kurnool the next day and hence he wanted that the paper be selected for printing his book on that day itself. Since he was one among the many acquaintances of Mr. Mir Abid Ali Khan, he wanted his work should be done on the same day so that there won’t be any intervention in his fasting. I was enjoined that I should accompany him to Secunderabad and help him in selecting paper. It was 11 a.m when we reached the paper shop, we came to know that the owner of the shop had gone out for some work and he would come after an hour. We waited upto 1. 30 p.m My condition worsened because of hunger. I tried to suppress my hunger because of the presence of the fasting person. During Ramazan, one gets control over his inner self easily. When it struck two O’ clock, he told me “please wait here for some time, I’ll come back soon”. I thought that it was the time for offering afternoon (Zohar) prayer. I thought, perhaps he was going to offer his afternoon prayer. I also thought that it is a good opportunity. After sometime, hiding myself I entered into an Irani restaurant. As soon as I opened the door, I saw that the gentlemen is busy in eating biryani hurriedly. When I saw him I burst into laughter. I told him, “Your honour – ! I went upto mosque in search of you. How would I know that you would come here for offering prayer? “He told me in an apologizing manner” Sir-! What should I do, I am a traveler. In the night, the hotel fellow also did not wake me up, so I did not observe fast today”. In response to this, I also narrated the tale of the elderly man who used to come with a bamboo to wake me up for Sehri. I very well remember, on that day the owner of the shop came back exactly at 5 O’clock. It was known that he was entangled in some work. However, we selected the paper and came back to the press. Till then, the time for Iftaar was over. The persons who were fasting, had finished their Iftaars.
They had started arraying themselves for Maghrib Prayer. As soon as Mr. Abid Ali Khan caught sight of us, he asked why were we late. If the owner of the shop was not present. You could have come back. He regretted that I did not even regard the gentlemen who was fasting. He asked us to break the fast with the remaining refreshment. How could I have told that this gentleman had already broken his fast in the afternoon itself. You know that during the month of Ramazan, it is obligatory for every organ of human body to observe fast. I therefore, controlled myself unswervingly and did not allow my mouth to open.
However, when my friend from Delhi suddenly came to me just at the time of Iftaar, I recollected the Hyderabadi friend of mine. I used to meet him regularly on the occasions of Iftaar parties hosted by political leaders. As soon as he came, he told that “it is good that Muslim leaders have prohibited people from going to the Iftaar parties of political leaders. As a result of it, the political leaders have also abandoned the succession of Iftaar parties. Muslims, however do not act upon the advice of their Muslim leaders whereas at least the political parties are paying heed to the advice tendered by the Muslims.
Thank God -! Fifteen days are over now. So far we haven’t received any invitation? I used to attend only one Iftaar Party in one day whereas you used to attend three or four Iftaar parties.
I told him, my dear friend, all the political parties are busy in the elections of four states. They have no free time now to think about the statements of the Muslim leaders. To me, it seems that the term Iftaar party itself looks like a political party. That which is to be called an invitation for Iftaar or an invitation for breaking the fast, is now called “Iftaar Party” my friend said, “whatever be the case, due to cessation of Iftaar parties, I started realizing the blessings of the Ramazan, otherwise for Iftaar parties, I used to spend most of my time jostling in buses”. When my friend was uttering these sentences, my servant arranged the refreshment for Iftaar on the table. There were dates, oranges, guavas etc. It was a plain refreshment which is called Iftaar in the middle class families. There was still ten minutes time for Iftaar. My friend, in the context of the Iftaar refreshment, started mentioning about the past Iftaar parties. He said “Two years back, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan’s Iftaar Party, the dates which were supplied were such that they used to melt as soon as they were kept on the tongue. You were also present in that Iftaar party. Do you remember the dates?. Three years ago, the “Ras Malayi” which was supplied on the occasion of the Iftaar Party hosted by Sonia Gandhi was so tasty that so far, I did not get that kind of Ras Malayi again and the Biryani which was served on the occasion of the Iftaar Party hosted at Rashtrapathi Bhavan was unparalleled, the taste of which is still there on my tongue even now.”
I told him laughingly, “My dear friend, the memory of your taste is marvelous. You have decorated your tongue with all the previous Iftaar parties yet. You were saying that because of cessation of Iftaar parties, you have started realizing the blessings of the month of Ramazan but from your conversations, it seems as if the memory of the past Iftaar parties is still chasing you.”
In response to my review, he wanted to say something but nature helped him and the siren for breaking fast (Iftaar) started ringing. It is quite obvious that no talk could have continued on such topics any more.
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