It is becoming a festival where people belonging to different faiths join to fast
Sudeep during Iftar with his family and friends
When petite young Mariam told her roommate she was beginning her fast for Ramzan the next day, the roommate, a non-Muslim, said she would also join her. They woke up at 4 am and made coffee together, ate chapathi rolls filled with fruit jam and went back to sleep. In the evenings, they broke the fast together, when Mariam brought to the dining table hot unnakaya from her grandmom’s place. In those 30 days, there was never the question of who belonged to what religion, it just happened to be something they enjoyed doing together. Ramzan, like Christmas, Vishu or Onam, is becoming a festival where people belonging to different faiths join to fast, celebrate, come together at the iftar gatherings or just be there for each other.
It starts sometimes as a friendly gesture, joining your mates whom you see go without food all day. Like how it happened for young actor Aparna Gopinath. A lot of her Muslim friends would follow the fast strictly and she wanted to be a part of it. “I don’t have much will power, but I do the fast at least one day of the month. I fast from morning to evening and then do the prayer. But I say my own prayer,” she says. The holy month brings a lot of togetherness, she feels, and not just for Muslims, but also for their extended family and friends. “No one would want to skip receiving blessings, no matter to which God one prays.” She hopes someday she will be able to do all 30 days of the fast. “But I do something different, like avoid non-veg etarian food, and take early baths. It makes me happy and I feel closer to my friends. You get joy, peace and food in one platter. It is an auspicious time, for everyone, it can’t be only for the people who follow Islam. Spirituality is one and religions are many.”
Artist Kishore Mohan too started to fast because he didn’t want to eat when he watched his best friend fast. “It’s quite something. You come out of it feeling better about yourself, a certain odd sense of accomplishment, almost spiritual. And that coming from an agnostic is bound to say it all.”
If watching their friends fast lures some to join them, imagine someone whose wife is fasting. Sudeep K.S., assistant professor at NIT, started fasting after marrying a Muslim, in order to interact with the community, to understand how they live their lives, and their beliefs. “I don’t do it regularly. Neither does my wife, we fast on a few days. It is a good way to regain your self control and remind yourself that you need to take only what you need, not more than that.”
As far as Iftar parties go, it is never observed as a ritual for only Muslims. Young entrepreneur Shameer Thaha says, “We invite people from all religions. Iftar is also a time for us to connect with our well-wishers and all others.”
Ramzan is not only about fasting, it is also the month when you harbour no bad thoughts in your mind, engage in no bad talk, and refuse no favours asked of you, says, young artist Fathima Hakkim. “You fast to understand the sufferings of people who have no food. But in the 11 hours you fast, you are getting recharged, removing toxins from your body. This is very good for the body. It is also a time when you donate a certain percent of your money and give something to everyone who comes, regardless of their religion. Ramzan is not just for Muslims, it’s for everyone. A month to pray, share and care.”
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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