Ramzan beyond the Walled City
NEW DELHI : On a Friday, an hour or so before the Maghreb prayer, which marks the sunset and the time for fasting Muslims to break their fast (roza), the narrow lanes of the Jafrabad Market in Seelampur, en route to the Madinah Masjid, are lined with street vendors selling fruits and dates.
An aerial view of the area would show a sea of white, as men wearing skullcaps fill the area — some out to buy fares for iftar, others making a beeline towards the mosques in the area for prayers.
Abdul Wahab, who “must be at least 60”, is one of the few selling pakodas.
“I have been setting shop here for 25 years. It is mostly locals who visit. Occasionally, we do get some outsiders, but mostly from neighbouring places. We are the ‘ Jama Masjid’ for ‘Jamnapaar’ l ocalities,” he says.
Seelampur in northeast Delhi has a sizeable Muslim population. It is also home to thousands of families that migrated to the capital from nearby states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Mohammed Ishraque Khan, the MLA of the area and an Aam Aadmi Party member, said the markets are usually open at least till 4 am, and caters to the needs of the people of the area where “over 95% are Muslims”.
During the month of Ramzan, the area and its neighbouring markets — Jafrabad and Welcome Market — transform into all-night bustling bazaars, with food, clothes, shoes, jewellery and other trinkets, rivalling the streets and fares of Old Delhi.
“Here there are options for everyone. In the Jafrabad, you find a lot of men’s wear shops, with kurta-pyjamas. Men usually wear this for Eid. In the Seelampur Market, you will find mainly women’s and children’s stuff. All these markets are within walking distance from each other as well,” said Hashim Saifi, a 29-year-old tailor in the area.
The only difference is that the Walled City attracts more tourists as it is well placed on the city’s map for its street cuisine than the lesser-known Seelampur area across the Yamuna.
“People usually go to Old Delhi, near Jama Masjid during Ramzan for eating. It is a more touristy place, because you have the mosque, Red Fort, Ghalib’s Haveli... many tourist attractions. So these people will eat out also. Here, the customers are locals. They have their homes here. We get a few people from this side of the Yamuna; for those Old Delhi is too far,” he said.
“Everything is cheaper here since it is not for tourists; it is meant for the people who live here, mostly labourers and daily-wage earners,” said 65-yearold Babar Ali, while frying ‘keema kachoris’.
Local shopkeeper, Mohammed, attributes lack of tourists on distance.
Farooqui, 35, has a sweet shop in Old Delhi, near Jama Masjid, as well as in Jafrabad market and business is “much higher” in Old Delhi during Ramzan.
Across the main road, in the Welcome Market, there are more roadside eateries, which also seem to draw huge crowds. Nawab Ahmed, a 38-year-old who owns a sweet shop in the area, said that shops stay open round the clock and business almost doubles during Ramzan, where traders come to buy from wholesalers or the locals, who might stop for a bite.
Irrespective of not drawing more tourists, the markets in Seelampur come alive with locals thronging the streets during Ramzan — a month of fasting, feasting, charity and brisk business for many, setting the tone for Eid.