Vendors serve special Ramzan delicacies as revelers throng food joints in Old City | r satish babu
HYDERABAD: The holy month of Ramzan is half-way through and in the Old City of Hyderabad, Charminar is the epicentre of all the festivities. As one crosses the Puranapul and enters Old City, a sea of humanity can be seen flowing towards the Charminar, on its way trying to find its favourite fruit vendors, bangle shops, haleem/biryani joints, and also the slightest space in between an entire city moving towards nowhere in particular. This is Old City during Ramzaan.
One knows it’s Ramzan when horns from the snail-slow traffic get subdued by voices of Sabri Brothers’ and other qawwals being coughed out from old and cheap speakers installed in front eateries. As the moon peeks from the clouds and the pale light hits one of the minars, tourists take positions with selfie sticks, hoping to capture both the monument. Up ahead, revellers throng eateries for a quick bite or a sip. The new city during Ramzan nights is a dying, sleeping, urban chaos of lamp posts, concrete and empty streets —just like every other night. However, Abids onwards, the rooh of Hyderabad engulfs everyone in its blend of colours, aroma, glitter, overwhelming number of motorcycles and the dakkhani dialogues.
It is quite truly said that for the one month of Ramzan, the Old City borrows Mumbai’s title of ‘the city that never sleeps’. So, when on Friday night Express visited Charminar and nearby areas, it was welcomed by the same sea of sleepless people. Such was the festive mood that even the jewellers around Gulzar Houz, whose businesses have taken a hit since the Charminar Pedestrian Project was started, looked content in their idle, reclined state, listening to qawwalis.
However, their employees remain charged up. From whistles to hooting, these workers leave no stone unturned for attracting the ‘ammas’ and ‘baajis’ to their shops. Such is the fervour of midnight market during this period that even the fountain at Gulzar Houz transforms into an overnight shawl shop. The extent of festivities can be guessed by the fact that most of the area —right from the entrance from Lad Bazar side of the monument —has been taken over by vendors selling bangles, shoes and imitation jewellery. While some of them have set up individual kiosks, others have taken shelter under a common tarpaulin. Under one such tarpaulin lies a series of shops selling shoes. These multi-coloured sandals spill out from the shop, hang from the ceiling of the tarpaulin, creating a tunnel of sandals through which you can walk. On the other hand, the solitary owners have decorated their shops in much quainter manner. On individual kiosks, the proprietor showcase their most-intricately designed bangles and necklaces, placed in rows and columns.
Foodies call it their heaven. In front of Pista House, wealthy babus can be seen waiting for their haleem inside the Fortuners. Others who have more time to spare, wait intently for the waiter to bring the ghee-lapped, lemmon-topped tender haleem. The odd one who eats burger instead of haleem at a haleem joint is eyed suspiciously. Such ingrained are Old City locals into the history of Hyderabad that you will find photographs reminding you of that era.
