With the hotels and restaurants in the city announcing reduced prices, ranging from Rs 90 to Rs 120, Iftar, the ritual Muslims religiously follow, has become highly economic and austere and moving out of homes. Iftar is the evening meal with which Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Irrespective of religious slants, people seem to throng various restaurants and eatery outlets as the offers appear to be too tempting. At one of the outlets, it is a package comprising dates, chicken biriyani and a lime-mint juice for Rs 90.
Two razzle-dazzle swinger friends Dev Menon and Raj Mathur, who arrived on a motor bike, had to wait for some time to get to one of the tables at the Kakkanad outlet of a restaurant chain known to be biriyani specialists. Dev and Raj, both Infopark techies, haven’t had enough time to cook at home. “We also share the Ramadan spirit, and once in a while we wait for our Muslim friends to break the fast and dine with them,” said Dev. Suraj Harris, partner of the leading Iftar packers, says that all three of his outlets in the city are overcrowded during the month of Ramadan. “Where else in the city can one get a full meal at so low a price as Rs 90,” asks Suraj. Middle and upper middle classes, drawing salaries between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000, seem to be the most avid visitors to these outlets, apart from Muslim believers.
Another middle range outlet, located in the heart of the city, serving Iftar buffet at Rs 299, offers four non-veg dishes, rice, thari kanji and a few snacks (unnakkaya, chatti pathiri, erachi ada and kallumma kaya), which are traditionally Malabari. Shaju M R, the manager of this restaurant, says that they have arranged a prayer hall also on the top floor of the restaurant for the convenience of the Muslim followers.
Another medium-to-above-medium range business hotel, comparatively newer in the city, near Convent Junction, has arranged the Iftar party as its launching attraction. For Rs 120, the hotel serves dates, thari kanji, ghee rice and chicken curry. Snacks include samosa, cutlet and meat pathiri. And lime juice to end. Manager V Swaminathan says, “This is not a community affair, more than that, Iftar has become an international affair.”
According to traditions, Iftar is done right after Maghrib (sunset) time. Three dates are taken to break the fast. As the Iftar rule decrees, Muslims break the fast at their home on the first day of the season. But on the following days, it has to be with friends or relatives. Sharing is the basic idea. But now as people have become busy with their work and other assignments, Iftar celebrations have moved to more convenient places, finding its way into hotels and restaurants.
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