UPDATE: This year, I’ve shifted the blog to my primary website www.asifkhan.in. You can view the updates under Projects, or simply by clicking here.

5 years is a long time.

When I started this blog in 2011, it was out of a sense of loneliness. Living alone in a big city wasn’t the best way to be when the time came for Ramadan. The month is all about togetherness and community, and sharing together in its joy. So I started going out to mosques every evening to share Iftar, and later on shared my experiences through this blog. It was a process of discovering hidden gems in different parts of Delhi.

Looking back at how the blog’s content has evolved over the years has been a process of discovering myself too.

I’ve been back in my hometown for the past couple of years now. I got married last year. Living with my parents after being away for around 17 years has been rewarding. So has the experience of learning to live with someone, with whom the rest of life is to be shared. In that sense, the loneliness which prompted this blog has been replaced by the warmth of living with family. That’s how long 5 years has been.

This year, I’ll be posting stories of individuals from a few cities across U.P. Right now, the plan is to cover Kanpur, Aligarh, Allahabad, and possibly Lucknow. I’ve had a close association with each of these cities at different times of my life, so it should be interesting revisiting them during this month.

The other news this year is that the project is being done in collaboration with Two Circles, which will also be posting the stories I encounter as a series. You can follow them on Twitter and Instagram here. And while you’re at it, you can show some love by following my Instagram and Twitter account too, in case you don’t already.

May Allah grant us with the ability to make the most of this month.