Celebrating Ramzan

On a gloomy Sunday evening after a sunbaked afternoon; I and Kapil were walking along the busy streets of Delhi in Malviya Nagar. We had planned a mountaineering expedition in Lahaul district of Himalayas. (Although we didn’t decide about which peak to climb but we took ten days off and decided to climb whichever peak was spared by the weather and was ideal for the novice climbers like us) So we were out in the market checking out new mountaineering apparels and gears. Needless to say my pockets were deep just enough to check out the products; read the price tags and calmly walk out of the shops.

We devoured some delicious Krispy Kreme doughnuts at the Select City Walk Mall and headed back to our friend’s place. It was almost the end of June and the rain god seemed not so merrier with Delhi people. (After reaching Manali, I realized that Manali was spared no better) To my chagrin, honking vehicles and polluted air had made the walk ridiculously unpleasant. Amidst all this noise, along the same street my eyes stumbled upon Arabic sign boards and a few men in off-white long kurta and pajamas who were oblivious to the outside noise; diligently preparing their supper meals. Rotis as thick as pizza base were artistically kept for the display. I could smell the aroma of lovely chicken being cooked inside and felt the irresistible pull of this unknown cuisine and an urge to explore the ceremonial gatherings if any. I inquired to a young guy named Ahmed and to my amazement it turned out that Ramzan, the holy month of Islam religion was starting on the next day. The food that they had cooked was supposedly their night's meal after which for the next thirty days they were going to observe a fast from sun rise to sun set. I wished him for Ramzan and expressed a desire to try Ramzan cuisine to which he agreed delightfully. That entire lane housed around 30-50 Muslims most of them had origin in Afghanistan and they spoke in Afghani language among themselves (To my puzzlement even the TV channels they surfed seemed to be in Afghani language). The food was tasty and despite the doughnuts feast, my taste buds relished the subtle sweetness of the nans and uniquely spiced Chicken Afghani.

We wished for Ramzan again and bade farewell to our hosts. At night Kapil was researching on the peaks and their weather conditions; but my mind was engulfed deeply with the thoughts of Ramzan. I was completely enthralled and overwhelmed by the idea of fasting for a whole month. According to Islam Ramzan is the nine month of Islamic Lunar Calendar and during this month Quran was revealed. The idea behind Ramzan is to purify oneself from all the sins and aspire to become a better human being by offering daily prayers which inculcate tranquility and closeness to the Gods, fasting from dawn to dusk which makes one feel the pains and sorrows of those who are deprived of food and water due to social inequality and thirdly, by donation, charity where one contributes as per his abilities, to uplift the economic well being of the entire society.  Thus by restraining oneself from the materialistic pleasures one can attain stability and peace of mind, understand the socio-economic imbalance around him/her and gain courage to serve the needy ones.

I was immensely fascinated by the divine motives behind fasting and I decided to celebrate Ramzan by fasting for a day. So I slept early thinking that I will wake up at dawn and stuff myself with every possible calorie supplier I can find in house and I won’t have to worry for the day. My alarm went off at 4:30 AM and with excitement I rushed to the kitchen only to find an empty water drum and to make it even worse, an empty doughnut box. (Our friend had gone to his native for a long break so he had left nothing behind) I was relieved to find a half filled water bottle from my rucksack. “A glass of water for the next 14-15 hours!! Cheers”!! I said to myself and went to freshen up for the day.

In the morning I did my usual Yoga and meditation. Yoga and breathing exercises made my throat dry and I had already started feeling thirsty at 8 o’ clock. Couple of hours of travel to workplace burnt my gastrointestinal track thanks to the scorching heats of Delhi. Air conditioners of Metro trains and my friends’ best wishes for the fast gave some respite from the pains.

I thought of millions of poor people for whom a glass of water and a piece of stale bread means more than million dollars; I thought of tribes in Maharashtra`s Garhchiroli who don’t even know if they are Indians; they are so oblivious from even the fundamental needs of livelihood. I thought of Bhagat singh who, during our freedom struggle fasted for 116 days. Possibly the longest any freedom fighter would have fasted! One thought revealed the inevitability humans have to endure just for mere survival; while the other one reflected what insurmountable feet a human being can achieve when spirited by the sacred motives of freeing one`s mother nation.

In the evening at 6 o’ clock, with hungry stomach and parched mouth I left the work place and boarded a Metro train. Luckily I got a place to sit. I closed my eyes and chronicled the entire day in my mind. Just one day of intense fasting session had elicited me to think about my feelings and responsibilities toward society first and then about the rights I deserve. No disputes that a month long fast observed consciously with pure motives would indoctrinate everyone to serve the society unselfishly.  My introspective airing was obstructed by a crying baby whose mother was struggling to stand in front of me holding the pole with one hand and carrying the baby with another. I was surprised that nobody (who weren't sleeping) noticed this scene.  I was dead tired and was blissfully dozing in an air conditioned seat but the sight of that woman struggling and the baby crying while me resting wasn't the one today’s lessons would have approved. I quickly stood up and offered my seat to her. She immediately sat there and comforted the crying baby. She probably, in a hurry to look after the baby, forgotten to offer the general response of saying ‘Thank you’ but a mild smile that rose upon her face as soon as the baby stopped crying; calmed my burning throat down and satiated the hunger.