Bustling bazaars to delectable dishes, Ramzan vibe pulses through Hyderabad

Ramzan changes the city’s rhythm as a large section of the population fast from dawn to dusk — a rhythm that throbs with frenetic economic energy

Around 5.30 p.m., the traffic flow on the Chaderghat bridge goes haywire. There is bustle as men and women, some carrying plastic bags filled with fruits, rush home. There are others on the Naya Pul bridge still making their purchases. Inside the Ibadat Khana e Hussaini, dozens of volunteers heave and carry cauldrons filled with food to the first-floor dining area. “We have 800 people having food here. They pray here, break their fast and then have dinner,” informs Mir Hasnain Ali Khan, who ensures the place runs like clockwork. While a majlis (gathering) is in progress on the ground floor of the building, bottles of water and plates are arranged for people to sit down and have their dinner.

Outside the Ibadat Khana, the azaan sounds for the sunset prayers, marking the end of the day’s fast, and open-air fruit stalls appear. The roads empty out as people disappear into their homes or mosques or restaurants to tuck in. What was an impassable road with foul-tempered commuters is now a calm stretch with a few people loitering about.

Ramzan, the ninth month of Islamic calendar, changes the rhythm of Hyderabad as a large section of the population fast from dawn to dusk. The rhythm throbs and pulsates with frenetic economic energy. “I open my cart at 6 p.m. after iftar and business is good till 4 a.m. People buy fruits and then they come to me for food,” says Mohammed Burhan whose speciality is ‘Bakre ka Chatpata Chakna’. While the buzz is about haleem, which is priced anywhere between ₹100 to ₹270 per bowl, it is the stalls like Burhan’s that keep food within the reach of everyone.

It is also time for people to experience the city. Stretches of city roads are lit up as if there were a wedding in the neighbourhood. With his food tray on the bonnet of his car near Tolichowki, Ubaid, who lives near Chowmahalla Palace, clicks a selfie with the food. “This is pre- sehri snack. I will be going home for food,” he says as his other friends wait to dig in. 

Word about experiencing the city is keeping awake a cross-section of population. “The experience of going to the Old City at 3 a.m., sitting with families, daily wage workers and youngsters alike, eating warm food and drinking water, waiting for the siren that signals the end of sehri was unlike anything I had ever sat through,” says Hanna, an undergraduate student who hails from Kerala. “Muslim or not, Hotel Nayaab that morning was a family, and the act of waiting for the azaan together ignited in me a feeling of peace and safety that cannot be attributed to just one cause,” she says after making the trip with her classmates.

“Ramzan in Hyderabad is incredible. It’s difficult to choose where to go to savour the different delicacies available,” says Juhee Ahmed, who dabbles in art and culture. “We went to Towlichowki, a foodie haven where the people, the smells, the sounds and the bright lights enhanced the culinary experience,” she says.

As an orange glow begins to show up on the eastern horizon, there are dozens of families and young people who show up at the piazza near Charminar clicking photographs, having chai while making plans for sleeping. Then the sound of azaan flows out from one masjid after another and another day of fasting begins in the city as the faithful trickle into the 350-year-old Mecca Masjid.