Every year, I find myself right in the middle of the Charminar area in Hyderabad in the run-up to and on Eid, and yet, I find it impossible not to get caught up in the nervous anticipation of the spotting of the crescent moon. The atmosphere is tense—it is almost as if people are both hoping for the festival to be declared and simultaneously counting on one more day of Ramzan to complete their Eid preparation. As the announcement is made, cries of “Chaand Mubarak” ring out and the frantic energy reaches the next level in the culmination of a month’s worth of fasting and feasting.
When I moved here almost two decades ago, Hyderabad adopted me and took me into its warm embrace. I have been running a tour company based here since 2008, and I feel more at home around the Charminar area than I do in most other parts of the city. My familiarity with several of the by-lanes means that I find it easier to get out of a traffic jam there than I do at, say, Ikea Circle in Cyberabad. But more than anything else, the people of Hyderabad are the ones who have made me feel as if I belong here. It is a big city but with a lovely small-town vibe where everyone is friendly and welcoming. Given that I am a South Indian who grew up in Jamshedpur, little wonder that I find myself fitting comfortably into a city where I have a first-hand experience of the North meeting the South. And thanks to Hyderabad’s history, I now have a deeper understanding of the unique syncretic culture of this region, of which this festival is a case in point.
The whole month of Ramzan progresses at a breakneck speed, and in the last few days before Eid, walking amongst the shoppers on Patherghatti Street feels like being in the rush hour local trains of Mumbai, where you automatically get carried along with the crowd. Every evening during Ramzan, when the time to break the fast draws near, temporary tables are set up around the Laad Bazaar, one of the oldest market streets dating back to 1591, and platters of fresh fruit and glasses of refreshing Rooh Afzha are kept ready. Dates are distributed among the rozedars (those who are fasting), and the spirit of generosity is evident all around, with even those not fasting invited to join in the feasting. Just last week, my guests were pleasantly taken aback when Ghaleb of the famous Nimrah Bakery and Café insisted they taste the sherbet he had prepared for Iftar. Just a few minutes before the fasting day ends, a quietness descends around the area, and yet you can feel the gentle and tired energy of those waiting for sirens to go off from the mosque, signalling the time to break the fast. These sirens are special to Ramzan in Hyderabad, both in the morning to signal the time to end Sehri (pre-dawn meal) and in the evening for the announcement of Iftar.
