Wakif serves panna at bhandara, Sunil cuts fruit for iftaar

Lucknow: Temperatures were soaring and despite a parched throat, 35-year-old Wakif Mehmood alias Roofi went on distributing aam panna (raw mango drink) at the Bada Mangal Bhandara on Tuesday. In another busy part of old Lucknow, stacked in the myriad lanes of Chaupatiyan, 38-year-old Sunil Chaudhury, also observing roza, was getting iftaari prepared for distribution in a masjid.Upholding the community spirit of the city, individuals celebrated the happy coincidence of Bada Mangal with Ramzan in Awadh's true Ganga-Jamuni style.
For the past four years, Roofi has been an integral part of the bhandara put up close to the outer gate of the Chhota Imambara. The setup is funded, organised and served at by both Hindus and Muslims since Gulab Chandra (79) began the tradition 11 years ago.
"For the last few years we have been taking part in the bhandara. The food is cooked jointly and we all serve it to everyone," said Roofi. Another local and organiser of the bhandara Firoz Agha said, "To those who think communal harmony is only in history books, should see how every person here is upholding those qualities."
Serving panna, boondi, sherbet, chhole chawal, poori sabzi and water, Sonu (27), in step with his Muslim brethren also observed the roza. "My aunt and sister-in-law have been on roza for the past several years to fulfill their wishes. I have tried to do so too, but with the heat, let's see how far I am able to take it," he said.
Meanwhile, what was a 'vishal Hanuman bhandara' during the day, transformed into an iftaar feast by evening. "We hold the bhandara by 3 pm, but because it's Ramzan, we will be preparing some iftaar eatables like pakori and fruit chaat and extend it till the Maghrib (sunset) Azaan," said Sonu.
Dairy owner Sunil Chaudhury has been observing roza for the past eight years now and his family organises the Bada Mangal bhandara religiously. "I used to take my buffaloes out to graze almost 5km away from my house with 25-30 other Muslim milkmen. While they would walk that far and toil despite their roza, I would be eating and drinking alone. Since we were all friends, I decided to put myself in their shoes and have been observing roza since," he said. Bada Mangal bhandara is an equally important event for Sunil and his brothers.
Not limited to that, Sunil also gets iftari prepared at a Muslim friend's home and has it distributed in a masjid nearby. "Last year, some people told me that since I don't offer namaz, my roza would be a mere bout of hunger so I gave it up last year. But before Ramzan began this year, I met an Imam of a masjid and he advised me that if I wanted to observe roza, I may, as for me offering Namaz was not mandatory and I was back to fasting," he said.