festivals

Ramzaan

lockdown

iftaar

Muslims

biryani

Sreenivasa and his wife preparing biryani for the poor during Ramzaan

Festivals are all about celebrating together and sharing food. Now with the lockdown, a lot of people are starving with no proper food. — Mubashera

prasadam

Inspector Sreenivasa, his wife Mubashera and their two children celebrate allbut thisis special as they are feeding poor people hit byThis is the holy month of Ramzaan, a month of contemplation, fasting and feasting. It’s a difficult time for those estranged from their families due to the lockdown, or due to other circumstances. But this interfaith couple know the pain of being estranged after loving each other. And now after being reunited as a family, they’re sharing the love and food with hundreds of homeless people in Bengaluru.Meet Mubashera, 35, a homemaker, and her husband, Sreenivas TR, 38, a police sub-inspector at the Civil Rights Enforc­ement Cell. When Sreenivas returns home during Ramzaan, he takes the food that his wife has cooked and distributes it to the homeless in Shivajinagar, DJ Halli, Yelahanka, Hegadenagar, Chamundinagar.This is their(the evening meal with whichall over the world break their fast) which they share with others.Mubashera has been cooking large meals for many years now. Usually, she would share them with her extended family but with the lockdown in place, that is not possible. So, she decided to share it with the many homeless people in Bengaluru. After her morning meal (sehri), Mubashera starts cooking around 7 a.m. Every day she sends out a packet of rice, curry, raita, a pakoda and a dessert.“The menu changes every day. I make tomato bhath, sabbakki bonda, semiya kheer, raita, bhath, sabbakki bonda, semiya kheer, raita, cut fruits,, masala khushka, jeera rice, jeera rice, dal, pakodas and papad. I need about 10 kgs of rice, 10 kgs of meat, 5 kgs of three different types of vegetables every day,” she says.She does all the cooking herself and says she’s used to it as she cooks such large quantities on other festivals too.Mubashera and Sreenivas have a beautiful love story that’s worthy of a movie. Sreenivas says he and Mubashera were in love with each other since school but their families were opposed to their plans to spend their life together as man and wife. Each went their separate way and got married as per their families’ wishes. But fate had other things in store. Sreenivas said, “I was in my early 20s and was working as a daily wage worker for the traffic police. When we told our families about our love for each other, they opposed it. We both lost touch but we met by accident at the police commissioner’s office in the beginning of 2010. She had come to the counselling centre along with her two-year-old daughter and was a victim of domestic abuse. I had recently got married and had trouble with the marriage for which I had come to seek counselling. When I saw Mubashera there along with her child, we spoke for a while, exchanged numbers and parted ways. It felt as if we were meant to be together. It was also the time when both of us were ending our respective marriages. My family members agreed to our wedding plans but her family was still not ready. Somehow, we battled through it and got married to each other the following year.” The couple who reside in JC Nagar have an 11-year-old-daughter and a six-year-old son. They believe that festivals are all about sharing food and enjoying the moment, irrespective of religion.Mubashera says that the family celebrates all festivals and their children follow both religions. She said, “I do my Islamic prayers at home and also perform the aarti to the Hindu gods. The same goes with our children. Now during Ramzaan, my daughter and I fast, and my husband helps me with the household chores before he leaves for work. Festivals are all about celebrating together and sharing food. Now with the lockdown, a lot of people are starving with no proper food. While preparing iftaar for us, we decided to prepare it for the homeless as well so that they can also break their fast along with us. I didn’t want the poor to break their fast with stale food. So we decided to cook at home. I start cooking at 7 am which goes on till 3 pm. I prepare about five different items including a dessert.”Sreenivas who returns home around 3:30 pm, picks up the food and distributes it in different areas in the city. “Irrespective of their religion, we give them the iftaar food. Those who are fasting, will offer prayers and break it with the food given by us. We give food to about 100 people every day and this is how we’re observing Ramzaan this time,” he said.Mubashera says she is equally excited about Hindu festivals and visits temples, and waits for theafter the maha aarti. “Though my family members have not completely accepted us, my in-laws and their family have wholeheartedly welcomed me into their family.They celebrate with us,” she adds. Sreenivas says he takes his six-year-old son to the temples as well as mosques in the evening for namaz.A family that prays together, stays together.Sreenivas says he is helped by his three friends, Irfan, Aziz and Francis to distribute the food and manage the crowd.