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This past month the household routines of Muslim families across India have changed. Drastically...

It is the holiest month of the Muslim calendar, Ramzan.

The day begins early, before sun up. By five or six o'clock, lamps are lit and homes stir with morning chores. It is time for sehri or the meal that must be eaten before dawn colours the horizon a pale pink. And from dawn to dusk a rigorous fast or a roza is followed. No breakfast. No lunch. No afternoon tea. And alcohol and cigarettes are out of the question.

The routines go in the reverse direction at nightfall. At sunset, just as the sun sinks out of sight, it is time for a mini celebration... for having been able to keep faith by fasting that day. Iftaar is the meal after sun down.

That, in a nutshell, is the change Muslim homes have undergone during these last few days of January. Most Muslims will fast will for 29 or 30 days, some even for 10 extra days, making it 40 days! Prophet Mohammad spent thirty days on Mount Hira while the Koran was being revealed to him. And at the end of Ramzan, Eid ul Fitr is celebrated.

Actually sehri, the early morning meal is usually a very quiet affair, eaten with family and close friends. The meal is simple. Care is taken that foods inducing thirst, like fish and salty dishes, are avoided, as even water is not allowed during a roza. The devout make do with a cup of milk or tea and a few dates. The meal must end at a call from the muezzin, which is about 40 minutes before daybreak. Just before the fast begins, water is drunk and one declares one’s intention of observing the roza with a small prayer.

The fast is a personal ritual and is strictly followed by the elders and young ones alike. Children are naturally very proud of being able to observe a roza. They vie with each other, to observe the maximum number of rozas during these 30 days. For the little(est) ones, who observe a fast for the very first time, it is a time for joy and a sense of achievement for the whole family! The choicest of foods are cooked and the child is decked out in new clothes and adorned with flowers, sometimes from head to toe! Much is made of the little Muslim! The indulgent elders fondly watch the child saying his salaat or namaaz, checking for mispronounced words.

During Ramzan, every evening, the menfolk and boys, gather at the masjids or at friends' places for the tillavat and tarabi or recitation of a chapter of the Koran. A chapter a day roughly covers the entire Koran in one month.

By contrast, the iftaari, breaking of the day-long fast is a time of joy and is celebrated between family and friends. Just before the appointed time, that is a few minutes after the sun has completely set, Muslims wait for the muezzin's call to end their day's fast.

The mosques are gaily lit up. And often a youngsters set off a cracker at the call of the azaan, so those who live away from the mosque, know when to break their fast. It is easier to follow the roza during the winter. But it is a real test of will, to be able to combat thirst and dehydration, when Ramzan occurs in summer.

At the call of aazaan for maghrib prayers or post-sunset prayers, thanks is given for having been able to keep one' fast. The fast is then broken with a few dates, falooda (a sweetened milk drink), sherbat (a sweet drink) or tea. After that, justice is done to an array of appetising snacks and fresh and dried fruit. The spread depends on one's means…but its always better than normal fare!

It is twice blessed to have guests who break their fasts at your table. And so iftaar is a time for socialising and hence the iftaar parties that are now in vogue. After breaking the fast, evening namaaz occurs. The feasting, if any, begins at dinner-time.

In Bombay, the place to be during this holy month at iftaar hour is along Mohammed Ali road, Bohra Mohallah, Minara Masjid , Bhendi Bazaar, Madanpura, Byculla and Nagpada . These bustling neighbourhoods are virtually transformed beyond recognition.

After evening prayer, the quiet streets suddenly burst into life. In half an hour, the locality becomes a giant, noisy fairground… a happy carnival! Folks, from all communities and from great distances converge on this very Muslim area, for the succulent iftaari fare sold and for a spot of shopping.

Crowds swarm through the lanes. A visit to these happy mohallahs during Ramzan is a necessary part of the celebration of Eid . Women shrouded in dark burkhas, men neatly turned out in sparkling white and noisy children, in a frenzy to go shopping, wander through. This is the time to buy clothes, shoes, trinkets, all in readiness for Eid. A little something for everyone, as also for the house -- a new vessel or some other necessity!

Tiny makeshift stalls -- lit by bright petromax lamps or oil lanterns, that creak with the weight of their wares, are tended by boisterous men who bawl out details of their stock. Having netted a customer, they proceed to wrangle over prices with a ferocious zeal. In all likelihood their wares are overpriced to begin with, so the men and women go away satisfied that they have struck a good deal!

Apart from the shoppers and the gourmets (a visit to the Ramzan stalls is an annual treat very few Bombaywallahs miss out on), fakirs throng the streets too, demanding their due. And get it. Every devout Muslim will set aside, two-and-a-half per cent of his assets as zakat to give to the needy each year.

A haze of steam and smoke from fragrant frying food hangs over most lanes where food for iftaari is being cooked up. Cream tikka or seekh boti (skewered chicken and meat) hang aloft in long lines above each stall. Kebabs of all sorts and sizes sizzle on giant iron tavas or skillets. Nalli nihaari ( a stew of kid marrowbone, aab gosht (a soupy meat dish , bara handi (a stew of goats' trotters and tongue) and picchoda or oxtail in a spicy gravy simmer and bubble merrily in huge degs or cauldrons. Counters are piled high with khiri kaleji(the toasted liver, udders and hearts) and portions of naan chaanmp or minced beef cooked in its own fat. These meat dishes are served with a variety of bread. Morsels of bread -- lamba pao or diamond -shaped loaves, sheermal ( milk buns), nans, parathas, chapatties, tandoori roti – are meant to sop up the piping hot meat curries and dals. Baida roti or unleavened white bread stuffed with mince and egg is a dish all by itself

Sweet stalls are armed with enough firni, malpua, falooda with holay, jalebis to feed an army… There's something for every palate! One just cannot have enough! Down every little lane and by-lane, these eats are sold in open street-shops, lean-tos and benches. And business is robust.

At the sighting of the new moon of the month of Shawwal, the 29 or 30 rozas of Ramzan, come to an end. Each Muslim family will have given away 3.5 kg of cereal, as fitra to the poor. This must be done before Eid salaat in the morning. And hence the feast is also known as Eid-ul-Fitr.

Eid is a celebration of having kept the rozas through the month of Ramzan -- which is one of the five pillars of Islam. On the eve of Eid the women of the house get busy. Milk in large quantities is ordered for stirring up the traditional sheer korma, a pudding of rich milk, vermicelli and nuts and raisins. Chopping kilos of onions, potatoes, vegetables, meat for murgh mussallam, biryani, keeps the household busy. And women rustle about shining up crockery, giving last minute touches to new clothes, changing the house linen and curtains. Hitherto silent TVs and radios blare music. And spirits run high

The men folk meet at the masjid to ascertain the time of the congregational prayers for next morning’s Eid. And wish each other," Chand Mubarak!" Incidentally, "Eid Mubarak!' is wished only after the Eid namaaz in the morning.

After Eid namaaz, families sit down for a giant breakfast feast of murg mussallam with naan and sheer korma. And the month's hunger is assuaged. Visitors and guests must have a glass bowl of sheer korma on this day, if not much more.

Eid is celebrated over two days. On the first day, the family stays home and receives visitors. On the second day families go visiting, watch a movie or go for an outing. Everyone is decked out in their new finery, and dressed to the nines, gleefully wishing all they meet "Eid Mubarak!"

Photographs by Jewella C Miranda

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