Ramadan in India
Mosque Opposite of Ibrahim Rouza, Bijapur
Ramadan in India is a whole different experience due to many reasons, one of them being the fact that it’s a time when all Muslim Indians turn into big foodies. The grand dinners, full mosques and of course the dishes cooked especially during the month the most popular being the Haleem all help in making an Indian Ramadan even better.Well the Haleem is a type of stew made from pounded wheat and mutton. It’s rarely available at restaurants throughout the year but in Ramadan it’s served at almost every restaurant. A common question asked during the month will be “how many restaurants Haleem have you tried till now”, that’s how important the whole concept of trying new Haleems becomes.
Ramadan is not only special for the Muslims but it is also for the other religions as well as they also enjoy the great food served throughout the month. Many dishes that normally involve meat are made in a vegetarian format as many Hindus are vegetarians.
Green flags containing a white crescent moon and a star are seen hanging across the streets or even on top of houses. They almost resemble the Pakistani flag. I remember a time when Republic day came short after Ramadan and in republic day India’s flags are hoisted on the streets, it almost was like I was outside a stadium in Sharjhah where a match is held between India and Pakistan as both flags were still hoisted across the streets.
Another interesting thing in Ramadan would be that almost every mosque would be offering 20 Rakats of Taraweeh Prayer. One may still find some people leaving after 8 Rakats though as they do in Saudi Arabia. In Taraweeh the Imam recites either around 1 Juz or 3 Juz a day. And in the last 10 days in some mosques during the night prayer 10 Juz are read, of course they are recited at a very fast pace. Ramadan starts when one notices the crescent moon in the country marking the first day of the holy month, as Muslims follow the lunar calendar. Before Ramadan starts we Indians normally have an idea when it will start as it normally starts 1 day after it starts in Saudi Arabia.
