Photos by Nivedita Khandekar
Nagpur: Mominpura in Nagpur is the place to be during Ramadan. People from across the city and at times, even from surrounding rural areas, flock to Mominpura ahead of Eid during the Ramadan month for purchasing clothes, footwear, ornaments, trinkets, basically anything and everything.
The place is also known for many of its eateries and as happens with other Muslim dominated area of any other city, Mominpura’s biryanis, not to mention sevaiyaan during Ramadan, are famous with the foodies of all faiths.
Here are a few glimpses of Ramadan festivities from Mominpura.
New Dress
Sumbul Kausar has come with her parents Tabassum Parveen and Iqbal Javed to buy clothes at the Altaf Bhai Javed Bhai Cloth Stores a day before her school reopens. Iqbal proudly tells: “My daughter has stepped into class 8 and I am going to get her two dresses – one a new school uniform and another for Eid.”
Iqbal, a tailor, and his family has come all the way from an area called Yashodara near Pili Nadi on Thursday to Mominpura for shopping. He says he will himself be stitching dresses for his daughter.
Mithaiwala
Jiten Kumar Sahu is mithaiwala/halwai who prepares kilos and kilos of sewaiyaan every Ramazan at Al Hafeez Sewai Bhandar in Mominpura. Originally from Kanpur, he has been preparing sewaiyaan, for Ramazan here and at another shop in another area for Rakhi.
“Coloured sewaiyaan need single fry so are Rs 80/kg. But plain sewaiyaan need to be crisply-coloured and hence fried twice, these cost Rs 100/kg,” Sahu says even as he continues unperturbed with his sewaiyaan-making work.
Ye Dosti
Salman Rayern (with red rimmed cap), Sayyed Sajjad (on the bike) and Anees Raja are best of friends and always spends hours chatting at a paan ka thela near the Mominpura main chowk. On Thursday, they met coincidentally as they crossed each other on the road. Around the same age group, the youngsters don’t study but have started working already. Salman said he does bakre ka kaam while Anees is into decoration work. Sajjad’s first candid answer was that he does nothing. A little prodding and then he tells his family runs a garage, where “he does nothing” with a sheepish smile.
For the youth, Ramadan means “we pray five times a day.” Rest of the year, it is not so.
Dhanda & Ibadat
Naseeruddin Kamal runs the Faizan Plastic and Crockery shop on Mominpura main road. Selling show pieces, hangers and other trinkets with Islamic messages, the shop does brisk business. Kamal’s son Irfanuddin (not in picture) was angry at the question: ‘Do these things sell more in Ramadan?”
“Ramzan mein dhanda apni jagah, ye Ibadat ka mahina hai,” quick came an angry retort as Irfanuddin walked away and refused to be photographed.
Water Melons
Sixty something Abdul Rehman Khan puts up a thela to sell fruits in Mominpura daily round the year. But it is only during Ramazan that he sells water melons. Rest of the year, he sells other fruits. “Water melon is a good coolant and helps rozedars,” he says.
He sells water melons between 3 pm to 6 pm daily, generally by which his whole lot is sold. But on days he has not sold all, he prefers to break his own fast in a masjid right behind where he sells fruits.
Churhiwala
Mohammad Islam sells bangles from a small kiosk in a corner in Mominpura. He gets special bangles from Hyderabad and Jaipur for Ramadan, when ladies from the area and even from other areas of Nagpur pour in to buy bangles. “Rest of the year, it is the simple kaanch ki churhiyaan. It is only during Ramadan that I bring these special, bright lac bangles as these are a preferred choice,” Islam says.
Children Roza
That young children look after their father’s shop is a common practice across India. But to find children as young as Huda Afreen (right), class 2 student; her brother Sayyad Ammar, class 4 student; and Sayyad Tahereem, also a class 4 student, manning the counter of their father’s shop selling imitation jewelry was a surprise.
“What is this month?” I ask. “June,” pat comes the reply.
“Do you know what is Ramadan?” …. “Haa, Roza hota hai.”
Afreen and Ammar have been observing Roza even at this tender age since last year.