As Ramzan nears, ghota makers get busy in Hyderabad’s Old City

As Ramzan approaches, ghota maker Mohd Anwar’s workshop in Hyderabad’s Old City comes alive. For nearly four decades, he has supplied traditional wooden ghotas essential for haleem preparation, meeting rising seasonal demand from hotels across the city.

Hyderabad: The Ramzan month is around the corner. The sight of big ghotas lined up outside the shop of Mohd Anwar, a ghota maker, is an indication of arrival of the Ramzan month.

On the narrow Chatta Bazaar road in the Old City, the ‘ghota’ shop of Mohd Anwar is well known among the hoteliers. Six weeks before the beginning of Ramzan, the workshop of Anwar, who makes ghota, a hammer used for beating the wheat and mutton in haleem, is a place of activity.

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“I start work six weeks to two months before the Ramzan month. During this period, I prepare close to 500 ghotas and supply them to hotels in the city,” said Mohd Anwar.

He is into the ghota-making vocation for nearly four decades. Hoteliers from across the city visit his workshop to buy the ghota prepared using different kinds of wood.

“Ghota plays a key role in the preparation of Haleem. With the help of ghota, all of the ingredients of the haleem get crushed well and the meat gets threaded finely. With the continuous smashing of haleem for nearly 8-10 hours with this ghota, the haleem gets its velvety texture,” explained Mohd Anwar. The ghota has different sizes and is made up of Babul tree and beef wood.

Several big hoteliers in Telangana and Karnataka place orders for ghota weeks before Ramzan. “A few hotels have asked me to supply the ghota regularly,” said Anwar.

After the new crescent of Ramzan month is sighted, it shuts down for business. “The workshop opens only after 10 months,” says Anwar, who also works as a cook.