Eid-ul-Fitr

According to Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim or ‘Hijri’ calendar – ‘Ramadan’ is the holiest month of the year. During Ramadan, believers of Islam observe strict fasting from dawn to dusk during which period; they abstain from food and drink and spend the days in spiritual reflection. After 30 days of Ramadan is ‘Shawwal’ – the tenth month according to the Hijri calendar. And the first day of the Shawwal month is ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’ – the joyous festival of breaking the 30-day Ramadan fast. Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations span three whole days when Muslims worldwide meet all their families and friends in person to partake of the Eid celebrations.

From the sighting of the first crescent of a new moon after the eighth Islamic month, the ninth month – Ramadan begins when Muslims observe fasting, reflection, devotion, sacrifice and generosity – the five Tenets of Islam. Not only do the Muslims comply to this imperative, they feel blessed by this compliance.

The five tenets or pillars of Islam are:

1.    Creed or Testimony or ‘Shahadah’ – where Muslims recite under oath, the Islamic creed - "'ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh", or "I testify there are no deities other than God alone and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

2.    Prayer or ‘Ṣalāh’ – these are ritual prayers which Muslims perform five times a day at five different periods of the day: Fajr (near dawn); zuhr (noon); asr (afternoon); maghrib (just after sunset) and isha (at nightfall). The Arabic word ‘Salah’ is popularly known by its Persian counterpart – ‘Namaz’ – both of which mean bowing, homage, worship and prayer.

3.    Alms-giving or ‘Zakāt’ – it is an act of voluntary alms-giving of a fixed portion of accumulated wealth to help the poor or the needy. Zakāt is to Muslims what ‘Ma’aser Kesafim’ is to Jews and ‘Tithe’ is to Christians. During Ramadan, Muslims donate 2.5% of their personal wealth after ‘nisab’ (meeting essential needs) is reached.

4.    Fasting or ‘Sawm’ – in order to inculcate ‘taqwa’ or ‘God consciousness’, Muslims abstain from food, drinks and sex from dawn (fajr) to sunset (maghrib) during Ramadan. Fasting or abstinence from any indulgence, helps one to empathize with those less fortunate ones. Abstinence also helps gain control over one’s desires and increases focus on devotion to God. Usage of expletives or thinking evil thoughts is strictly avoided during Ramadan. And even before fasting, it is a practice among Muslims to explicitly express their intention to Fast which is called ‘Niyyah’ or ‘Niyyat’ in Arabic. Infact, without the prior outward commitment – Niyyat, even fasting is not considered valid. The emphasis here is to solidify commitment of the person who is fasting towards this tenet of Islam by outward expression.

5.    Pilgrimage or ‘Hajj’ – every Muslim is to make a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia during the 12^th month of the Islamic Calendar – Dhu al-Hijjah. Mecca is the holiest place of Islam religion as Mecca is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad. Mecca is also where the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad centuries back. Every Muslim on earth who has the financial and physical capability to travel to Mecca needs to perform Hajj at least once in his lifetime. Millions of Muslims perform Hajj at Mecca each year.

Bound by these Principles of Islam, Muslims believe that they are commanded by Allah – as mentioned in the Holy Quran – to observe fasting right up till the end of Ramadan plus pay ‘Zakāt’ before performing the Eid-ul-Fitr prayer.

Typically, on the day of Eid, Muslims wake up before sunrise offer ‘Salatul Fajr’ (the pre-sunrise prayer) then at the time of offering Eid Prayers they walk up to the Mosque reciting the ‘Takbir’ or incantation until they reach the Mosque or until the ‘Imam’ commences worship.

It is forbidden to fast on Eid so a mini-breakfast – mostly made of dry fruits is had before performing the Eid Prayer. The Eid Feast in India – is a lavish spread of dry fruits, biryani and sweet meats which the women-folk prepare at home. People of other faiths visit their Muslim friends – sometimes many households on the same day, to wish them ‘Eid Mubarak’ and partake of their joy and festivities.

Besides four weeks of austere fasting and heightened piety, Ramadan also is the much awaited month for shoppers of the other faiths as some of the most ostentatious, ornate and attractive apparel and jewelry are sold during this month.

Night-bazar trend is another thing to look forward to during the Ramadan season when brightly illuminated marketplaces display their best wares and solid retailing continues till the wee hours of the morning. ‘Qawwalis’ or Sufi songs are heard on music systems everywhere you go in the market. Especially at places like Delhi and Hyderabad, you would see equal number of non-Muslims shopping at nights during Ramadan when these cities’ shopping places come alive after dark. The marketplaces are overcrowded with shoppers and vehicular traffic is diverted during this month.

‘Haleem’ – a wheat and meat delicacy is made and sold only during the Ramadan. Hyderabad is the ‘Haleem Capital’ of India and is visited by countless Muslims and non-Muslims for the sole purpose of eating Haleem during Ramadan. No wonder then that Haleem alone does a whopping business of Rs. 100 crores during Ramadan in Hyderabad.

Popular Mosques of India are:

1.    Cheraman Juma Masjid – located in Thrissur District of Kerala – is the first Mosque of India built in 629 AD by Malik Ibn Dinar.

2.    Jama Masjid – located in Delhi – is the largest Mosque in India, built in 1650 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The capacity of this Masjid’s courtyard is 25,000 people at one go.

3.    Makkah Masjid – located in Hyderabad – built by bricks which were made from the soil brought from Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty – Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah commissioned this Mosque which was completed in 1694. Mosque can hold 10,000 worshippers at a time. IT took about 8000 workers to build this Mosque.

Pix courtesy: Wikipedia, dsaravanane@flickr.

Indian Independence Day.

How does a nation such as Britain whose indigenous written language which developed only in the 9^th Century control a country such as India whose written history dates back 4000 years….. or even dream of ruling India’s 200 million population with its meager 16 million in 1850?

How did the British East India Company (which was owned by wealthy merchants and not the British Government) who first landed on Indian shores in Surat in 1608 for trade, manage to take over the entire country for centuries?

Imagine how India would have been if the British with their superior weaponry and obsessive profit-motive had not come to India or had not got the imperial patronage of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir for a commercial treaty which infact gave the British a territorial foothold in mainland India for centuries!

Well for one, we would not have had Independence Day which we now celebrate every year on 15^th August since 1947!

It was one thing to be subjected to subjugation by foreign traders-turned-tyrants for hundreds of years and it was totally another to volunteer to disintegrate as a nation – partitioning the country of India into three

Since we’ve gotten used to saying ‘past is past’….well past….is past and we commemorate the biggest part of our country’s past in all our futures – the Independence Day.

And while we hoist our flag and raise a toast, we also remember those who gave us this reason to celebrate – our soldiers – our freedom fighters, who were not afraid to bite the bullet.

The 15^th of August each year should mean more than just saluting the Indian Flag and singing the National Anthem. It should mean offering condolences to those who have sustained injuries or lost their loved ones to wars. It should mean acknowledging their bravery and sacrifice. It should mean visiting their families who’re left wondering if it was worth the sacrifice. It should mean paying respects to our soldiers.

21 Gun Salute to our Heroes!

Some of the War Memorials that you could visit:

1.    The India Gate – New Delhi – commemorates 90,000 soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Raj in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War.

2.    Chandigarh War Memorial – Chandigarh, Punjab - commemorates the thousands of Martyrs of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Chandigarh.

3.    Dras War Memorial – Kargil District, J&K – commemorates 1200 soldiers who lost their lives in the Kargil War (Operation Vijay) as well as 1000 soldiers who were wounded and 1000 permanently incapacitated.

4.    Tawang War Memorial – Arunachal Pradesh – commemorates soldiers who lost their lives in 1962 Sino-Indian War.

5.    Anglo-Sikh War Memorial – Firozpur, Punjab – commemorates the hundreds of Punjabi soldiers who lost their lives fighting against the British troops.

6.    Darjeeling War Memorial – Batasia Loop, Darjeeling, WB – commemorates 76 Gorkha soldiers who lost their lives in Operation Pawan; Operation Meghdoot and Operation Rakshak.

7.    Victory War Memorial – Chennai, TN – commemorates soldiers of Chennai presidency who lost their lives in World War II.

8.    Jammu War Memorial – Jammu, J&K.

9.    Dharamshala War Memorial – Himachal Pradesh.

10. AP War Memorial, Parade Grounds, Hyderabad, AP.

11. War Memorial - Brigade Road, Bangalore, Karnataka.

12. Kottayam War Memorial – Kottayam, Kerala.

13. National War Memorial – Pune, Maharashtra.

  

Some unusual photos of Indian Independence:

Pandit Nehru with Lord Mountbatten on Independence Day in 1947.

The First Prime Minister of India - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru gives his first speech holding an Indian Flag on 15 August 1947.

Pix courtesy: indology, post.jagran, sikhphilosophy, freevisuals4u, lazydesis, wikipedia, warbirds, punjabilokvirsa, timescontent, mobile.scrapu, ataworld.

Onam - best time to visit Kerala!

Kerala’s biggest festival – Onam brings 10 solid days of carnivals and celebrations this august. The water channels of Kerala come alive with high-spirited boat races and the main lands with royal marches of caparisoned elephants, music, dance, elaborate ‘onasadya’ meals brightly decorated temples and streets with serial-lights and flowers.

Onam is an ancient harvest festival which also celebrates the monsoons as well as the annual visit of Asura King Mahabali – during whose reign it is said that Kerala flourished. Onam is celebrated during the Malayalam month of Chingam (August-Septermber) and lasts 10 days.

‘Vallamkali’ or the snake-boat-race is the high-point of Onam where the main boat races are held in a 40-kms stretch on River Pamba – the third longest river of Kerala. Lengthy snake-boats (chundans) which hold fifty oarsmen each participate in ferocious races on all 10 days. These oarsmen not only paddle swiftly in perfect coordination, they also sing in perfect rhythm while they race to win. Each of these race-boats has 150 people aboard of which 125 are oarsmen; 4 are helmsmen and 25 are singers. Vallamkali epitomizes perfect team play and all it takes is one mistake of one oarsman to overturn the boat.

This is also what brings thousands of non-resident Keralites and other tourists to Kerala each year. You will find countless photographers and media perched on the banks of river Pamba struggling to get a clear shot of the racing snake-boats – standing amidst thousands of onlookers who themselves behave boisterously –cheering for the boats.

The rich Kerala cuisine cooked during the Onam days – the ‘Onasadya’ - comprises a lavish 9-course meal of 13 primary dishes - a veritable rainbow of colourful vegetables cooked in fresh and flavourful locally grown ingredients and served in fresh banana leaves. Onasadya is not only a convergence of culinary and cultural influences of centuries; it is also one of the most colourful and attractive displays of food in the world.

‘Onakalikal’ are games played on Onam with great fervor. This is one of the rare occasions where you would get to witness the martial arts of archery (ambeyyal); combat games (kayyankali); kabaddi (kutukutu); mask dances (kummattikali); dancing in tiger-like body-paints (pulikali); folk dances of women (thumbithullal & kayikottikali); and rugged ball games (talappanthukali) among other festivities.

‘Pookalam’ or traditional flower arrangements made on each morning in front of each house during the Onam days is another colourful representation of festivities in Kerala. Comprising 6-10 varieties of flower petals, the pookalam activity is a joyous event among the Kerala women folk all over the state. You would get to see some of the most creative and arty patterns and designs of flowers during Onam.

The dazzling parade of caparisoned elephants amidst incessant fireworks, music and drum roll all day is worth all the struggle of earning one spot among the thousands in the crowd alongside the parade route. More than 100 elephants parade the main streets of all the major towns of Kerala.

 

The Onam week has also been declared as the Tourism Week by the Kerala government so that other people can visit and enjoy the true essence of Kerala at the right time. And certainly, Onam is the best time of the year to visit Kerala!

Pix courtesy: Indianexpress, timesofindia, keralapix, loadtr, yahoogroups, fanimages, prinjuprasad.blogspot.

Hyderabadi Haleem

After reading my blog ‘A Real Taste of Hyderabad’, I assume your mouth may be watering and you are tempted to try out those dishes. But to try out those authentic delicacies of Hyderabad, you need to visit the city of Nizam’s in this month of Ramadan, which starts from July 20^th and will last for a month.

The true flavor of Hyderabad can be experienced in the evenings of this month, when the Muslims break their day long fast with Iftar, which becomes a reason for get together of relatives and friends and if you get an invite for any Iftar, do not miss it, as this is the place where you can savour different delicacies of Hyderabad free of cost. Otherwise do not feel bad, because you will get all these delicacies in different restaurants of Hyderabad and some are world renown for some particular variant.

There are various dishes in Hyderabad which can be relished by the foodies, but this being the holy month of Ramadan, let me give you some information about the dish which is synonymous with Ramadan and that is world famous Hyderabadi Haleem.

Haleem is usually consumed in this month during Iftar, as it is highly nutritious, tasty and above all instant energy giver. The dish is rich in protein and it contains anti-aging ingredients as it is made of meat, lentil, pounded wheat, ghee and different spices. This is usually cooked on a low flame of firewood for nearly 12 hours to make into a thick paste. It is served hot with fried onions, chopped coriander, cashew nuts discs of lemon and slices of boiled egg.

Hyderabadi Haleem was rewarded with Geographical Indication Status in 2010 and this is the first non-vegetarian dish of India to get this status. 

There are innumerable joints in Hyderabad where you can savour this dish in the month Ramadan, but some possess very good ranking among foodies like Pista House, Survy, Hotel Shah Ghouse, Madina Hotel etc.

                            Haleem Joint

Pista House is an ISO 9002 company, which has various outlets in different parts of the city. It has the facility of home delivery to different parts of India as well as to some places of Europe and USA.

Mouth watering! Feeling hungry! So why don't you join me to relish Hyderabadi Haleem here in Hyderabad ? 

Waiting for U!