Ramzan vibes kick in as Hyderabad gears up for the holy month

All the mosques across the city are being refurbished in view of the large attendance witnessed for prayers during the month

Hyderabad: With just a fortnight remaining for the Islamic month of Ramzan, considered one of the holy months in the Hijri calendar, hectic activity is seen across the city.

All the mosques across the city are being refurbished in view of the large attendance witnessed for prayers during the month. The management committees are busy selecting and hiring ‘hafiz’ (a Muslim who has memorised the Quran) to lead to ‘Taraweeh prayers’ — special prayers wherein chapters of the Quran are recited and arranged during Ramzan.

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Apart from mosques, the Taraweeh prayers are planned to be arranged for women at function halls, gated communities, private schools and auditoriums. “In Mecca Masjid, the taraweeh prayers will be held after sighting the new crescent of Ramzan month. Daily, three chapters of the Quran will be recited,” said the khateeb of the Mecca Masjid, Maulana Rizwan Qureshi.

As everyone is aware a variety of food items, including haleem, dahi vada, pathar ka ghost, etc are especially prepared during the Ramzan month at restaurants and roadside eateries.

People from across the city visit Tolichowki, Shahalibanda, Pathergatti, Barkas and Charminar, particularly for Haleem. Due to the rise in the prices of ingredients used for preparing haleem, it is likely the restaurant owner might increase the price by Rs 10 or Rs 20. “So far we have not yet decided about increasing the price. I can say there will not be much difference in prices and people need not worry about it,” said a haleem maker from the Old City.

Traders in the markets have stocked the merchandise in view of the Eid ul Fitr festival celebrated at the end of the Ramzan month. In view of busy schedules in the Ramzan month, some families prefer to shop for the festival before the beginning of the holy month.

Shopkeepers, keeping in mind such customers, have stocked up the latest merchandise at their establishments. “People have started shopping for Ramzan month and the Eid ul Fitr festival. New stocks arrived a fortnight ago and have been put up for sale. We hope we do good business during the month,” said Syed Muqtadar, a trader.