After Ramadan

Ramadan Eid was celebrated some days ago, and it was a relief to see the month pass. This is not just about the rigours of fasting. It is also about the changed duty timings, the unavailability of things in the market during several hours of the day, and also between Maghrib and Tarawi prayers, and some other minor inconveniences. 

During the days surrounding the Eid, we have what is known as the "murabta" - which is the compulsory duty period if you wish to get compensation in the form of either extra pay or extra days of vacation (you can choose one of the two). During these days, every staff member attends duties. In the ER it is not unusual to see 4, or even 5 doctors in one duty shift! Nurses are always available - except for the Saudi brothers, who disappear during the Eid days. It is a good time to socialise, to meet your friends in the hospital and to reflect. At the same time, the overcrowding with the absence of patients makes one realise that this is a system that does not work in the correct way. Why enforce attendance at a time when there are hardly any patients? I am still trying to get an answer to this question. 

One of the minor inconveniences is the unavailability of things in the markets for several days after the Eid. This is because suppliers send their stuff in trucks; and these truck drivers are on holiday! When I visited a supermarket today, I found the vegetable and fruit racks empty. The bakery shops are closed, as are the small snack bars (the buffiyas). There is no one to open the shop that sells water by the can for drinking and cooking purposes. In short, there is a pseudo-shortage of several items, because the locals have already hoarded up on these things before the Eid. And also because the workers are just not around. 

I expect that things will begin to improve by tomorrow, which is the 4th day after Eid. Ameen to that.

In other news, I am continuing my efforts to write a book on my MRCPCH journey. It would be my attempt to help future students to take these exams. My efforts are also on to search for a job either in the Emirates or in the UK - this must happen soon, as I am due to exit the Kingdom within the next few months. I have signed up for writing job tasks on a few web-sites - an attempt to test myself to do constructive work in my spare time. (Do check out http://www.freelancer.com if you are also interested - and not just for writing jobs.)

That's it for now. Thank you for reading. I will await your comments and constructive feedback. Eid Mubarak to my Muslim and non-Muslim friends. May your coming months be prosperous and peaceful. 

An unfolding future

Even as I write this post, I am wondering how and what my future is going to pan out/ turn out to be. I am an eternal optimist. When my family received the original MRCPCH certificate by post in India, I urged my daughter to scan it and send me a soft copy. I tweaked it a bit, removing unnecessary blank portions from the scan, then converted the scan into a picture. When I posted this on FB, I received a deluge of likes and comments. I received more than 10 new friend requests from people who are keen to complete their MRCPCH qualifications. I received congratulatory comments even off Facebook ... on Whatsapp, by calls, and through SMS messages on my Saudi phone. 

When the hullabaloo over this had subsided, I decided to introspect. I have read elsewhere that people who post about their own achievements and activities are not liked much They are perceived at best to be narcissistic and at worst to be egotist. However, sharing good news of this kind is what social media are all about, aren't they? So. I carry on in this way.

I also received my much-awaited  (delayed) salary this week. I believe this will be one of the last few salaries I will take from the Kingdom, as my exit papers have already arrived, and, as I write this, I have less than 2 months to go for my return flight to India. I am regularly applying for jobs in the Emirates, and recently, also in the UK. I hope something or the other materializes soon in some direction. 

Now to some tit-bits: 

• Yesterday, I met a few Malayali nurses in one of the small stores in Al Muwayh. They had come to our village in their dispensary-sponsored vehicle to make local purchases from a village called "Rukna". This village is 140 km from Al Muwayh! There is no other place where they can go to do their weekly shopping.
• Ramzan duties are going on as usual.
• I will be able to take a few days off from Sunday evening onwards until Tuesday evening, as a doctor from Turabah is going to come to work in my place.
• I spent a few hours yesterday night with my namesake Dr. Tahir (the ER resident from Srinagar), and we had a good discussion on various issues. He is planning to study for USMLE and wants to emigrate to the US in some years from now. 
• Like every year, the shrubs and trees are decorated with blinking lights in preparation for Eid. This festival is most likely going to be on the coming Friday, 

Over half of Ramadan over

Yes, more than half of the holy month of Ramadan is over. Not much has been happening in Al Muwayh. Roads are nearly empty through the day. Activity picks up only after the evening prayers. A couple of small eateries bring out pakodas, chana chaat and samosas to sell to fasting devotees; department stores of all shapes and sizes open for brisk pre-iftaar business; cars appear on the wide promenade and roads; women appear in their ubiquitous abayas, walking to eateries and "bakalas"; young men and boys are seen ambling down the road. By half past six o'clock, cars begin to collect outside mosques, the roads again start emptying themselves. Fasting men and boys start collecting in groups with fruit and other stuff piled on a plastic sheet in front of them as they wait for the sound of the Maghrib azaan.

As the sun goes down, a hush falls on the town. Women who have made their purchases run home to cook hot meals for their men-folk; cars dwindle, children go back home, and expats, too. Non-Muslim people have to go back to their homes as well. Bakalas and shops start closing, with their managers urging shoppers to leave soon as the prayer time draws near. Through all the stillness, the sounds of azaans break out all over the town, tens of mosques blaring out the pious prayer over the megaphones. Devotees break the fast, their eyes on the clock, as they must complete the food piled up in front of them before rushing to the mosque to join the rows of devotees who are awaiting the call of the muezzin to begin the Maghrib prayer. 

Once the maghrib salat is over, people spill out again into the streets. Activity picks up from where it died down before the prayers, More people emerge out of their homes to take advantage of the fading daylight to purchase food and other necessities. Business is brisk in the next one and a half hours before it will be time for the next prayers - the Isha prayer and the Taraawi. 

My duties in the hospital during the working week are in two shifts. The first shift is from ten a,m, to 1 p.m. During the morning shift, there is no work at all, as fasting people do not venture out for routine OPD visits. Only road accident victims and emergency patients continue to come - mostly in the ER. The medical OPD does see some patients, as do the others. My own OPD (Pediatric) hardly sees one or two routine cases in the morning shift. Our second shift begins at 10 p.m. and continues until 1 a.m. During this shift, it is work as usual. The out-patients are full of patients and care-takers. Doctors and nurses are busy inside their cubicles. There are a limited number of patients in the ER as all routine cases are diverted to the OPD. By half past twelve, most of the work is done, and we slow down, awaiting the end of duty. The work day is then over.

I reach home within five minutes. Usually, I have slept most afternoons, so sleep does not come easily. I sit on my laptop, updating my games and checking my email. I usually watch an episode of two of the LOST series (currently I am on season 2) before retiring for the night at half past two or so. I take my suhur before sleeping, but I do not observe all my fasts owing to my diabetes. 

And Ramadan goes on. 

A week completed in Al Muwayh

After my return from Zalm, I have settled down in Al Muwayh and over a week later, I think it is time to take stock of where I am going with what I am doing. Ramadan started 7 days ago, and with it, we also began to work in 2 shifts - the morning one being from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the night one from 9.30 p.m. to 12.30 p.m. There are hardly any patients in the morning shift as people are usually fast asleep after being awake the whole night. I saw either no patients or up to 2 patients each of the morning days during the entire last week. In the night shift, though, it is work as usual, and patients keep coming until the last few minutes of the duty. 

A lot of road traffic accident victims have been coming in daily. This is quite usual, as a lot of people drive to Makkah and Madina in Ramadan to gather blessings from Allah. Most of the times, the victims are non-Saudis. I witnessed the arrival in the ER of one Pakistani family with the death of an old man, his son's wife and his son's daughter on the highway itself. Only the son has survived the accident, in which he was also the driver of the car going toward Makkah. May Allah grant these poor victims of road accidents a place in Jannah. Ameen.

Four new doctors, all from Sudan, have joined our ER. They include the very smart Dr. Abdulla, an equally smart Dra. Maria, one Dr. Badreddin and one Dra. Wefag. Of these, I have had many patient-related interactions with Maria, who is a resident of KSA as her family is already based here in the Kingdom. Wefag is the newest, having joined just a few days ago, and is right now undergoing orientation. Dr. Abdulla speaks very good English, is well-informed, and appears to be as smart as our ex-Dr. Amr Hilal. Let us see how these doctors shape up in the months to come.

Apart from my work, I have been spending time downloading and watching stuff on the laptop, watching Arnab Goswami go at everyone with his rabid tongue on Times Now, and doing a bit of cooking here and there. In the past week, I made a chicken curry once, Turai and chana dal once, and today, a potato gravy. Yesterday, I made a new item from a new ingredient. This was Molokhia soup. I must say it was easy to make, and it turned out good as well. Molokhia is a type of leafy vegetable that is eaten widely in Egypt and northern Africa. It is basically from the jute plant. Belonging to the same family as the humble okra (lady fingers), it is a mucilaginous plant that is eaten best with mild spices. Usually, it is made with lamb or chicken, but I made it with just one cube of Maggi chicken flavour. I had one bowl of it yesterday for dinner, and would be eating more of it tonight, with rice. You can see a very nice video on cooking molokhia here.

That's it for now. Thanks for visiting my blog and reading this entry. You are welcome to browse previous entries and view photos from the links to other pages to the right of the blog. Feel free to comment below the entries, share my blog or specific entries with your friends on different social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus buttons are located below each entry).

My 4th Ramadan in Saudi Arabia

A very Happy and Pious Ramadan to all my readers.

Well, things didn't go exactly according to my earlier plans, did they? I was rather hoping to exit last year, but decided to renew my contract as I did not have a clear direction for a new job or my MRCPCH at that time. Now, the time is approaching when my fourth year will also be ending ... inshallah. Ramadan has begun here today. With this, our hospital duty timings have also changed from a single duty in the day-time, to a split of morning (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and night (9.30 p.m. to 12.30 a.m.) ... and as I write this, I am preparing to go for my first of such night duties. 

A few things that I did after returning to Al Muwayh yesterday: I purchased some provisions and food items in preparation to start cooking my own food after a long gap. Today, I began this by making chana dal with turai (in English, that is chick-pea lentils with ridge gourd). The food came out delicious! 

I also bought a used TV set and set up my cable to re-start. I am just watching TIMES NOW after a long gap of over three months (although I did watch it sometimes when I was in India). 

I am hoping to get back my internet DSL connection into my house ... currently, it is with someone else, who used it for over 2 months while I was in India. Once this comes, I will have fast, unlimited internet back as well!

Finally, it looks as though I am returning to my old life here in KSA. There are a few restrictions, though. As I will be working alone, I will be unable to take leave and vacations in between - something that I have been doing the whole of last year with the arrival of Dr. Afzal (he left for his annual vacation a few days ago). Secondly, I have no car, as I sold mine before leaving KSA on my last emergency holiday. I have hired a car-taxi guy, a Sudanese by the name of Mr. Hasan. He will ferry me back and forth to and from the hospital every day for a princely sum of SR 300 per month. He has also agreed to offer his services for night and weekend emergency calls at no extra cost! Isn't that marvellous? Lastly, I am going to be unable to visit Taif to replenish my dwindling larder ... hence, on my last visit there a few days ago, I brought back as much as was possible so that there is no shortage of food and related items. 

Back in Al Muwayh ... hopefully for good

After a lot of messaging and calls from the hospital director, the medical director and some big shots from the Muderiya, finally, in the afternoon, I received my release letter and have returned to my own place in Al Muwayh, to start my duties here from tomorrow, which also happens to be the first of Ramadan 1436. The last day in Zalm was the same as all the rest have been, except that I went around saying good-byes to all those whom I know. This includes most of the doctors, some of the nurses and a very few of the other workers in Zalm. I am going to miss some of them, but then, this is how life flows, does it not? 

After unpacking my bags, I cleaned a bit of my living room, shifted out the big ornamental chair and shifted in the metal bed that Dr. Afzal has been using until now ... I also brought in my new mattress and put it atop the older mattress that my colleague had been using, and finally, put a nice cover to prepare my bed. I hope to use it regularly from now on. I guess sleeping on the floor is going to be a thing of the past for me. 

I still need to re-arrange my internet and to bring in a small, used TV so that I can enjoy my evenings as usual. I will have to start cooking from tomorrow. In Ramadan, duties are not from morning until 4.30 p.m., but from 10 to 1 (in the mornings) and from 9.30 to 12.30 (in the later part of the night). Thus, I won't have to worry about taking a lunch box with me during Ramadan. I can return home and eat if I am not fasting.

And that is that. Thank you for your attention and for reading this brief but important entry. Happy Ramadan to all my friends, and hope to have you pray for me, as I will, for you. 

Celebrating Ramadan Eid - the "sheerkhurma"

The last few days were memorable. This is my second Ramadan Eid in the Kingdom. While I have stayed in touch with my family and my friends from India through various modes of communication like the phone, email, Whatsapp, Wechat, Skype, etc. I tried (and am trying) to reach out personally to everyone I know in my town to wish them personally, whether they are "ajnabees" (expats) like me, or Saudi acquaintances.

A few days before the actual day of Eid, the hospital takes on different hues as the nursing staff go about decorating the various work areas with floral designs, stars and the moon, and hanging as well as wall-mounted festoons. Their effort is really noteworthy, as they (especially the Filipino nurses) are extremely talented in the arts and the crafts. They work ceaselessly till the various areas of work are adorned with beautiful decorations. 

 The photos alongside are just a few of the decorations they put up.In addition, they also put up streamers and balloons. It looked like a party! It reminded me of the decorations that Christian nurses put up during Christmas, or Hindu nurses put up in Diwali in India. However, in Saudi Arabia, there is no music, singing or dance. Hence, the celebrations just don't measure up to the image I have in my mind or the idea of celebration. 

Even so, it was nice interacting with the staff in the hospital. Of course, during Eid, we continue to work, as there would be compensatory offs later on. However, there are hardly any patients during the last few days of Ramadan and the first few days of Shawaal (the ensuing month, the first date of which is the Ramadan Eid). 

To celebrate Eid, the hospital distributed a few chocolates to each staff member. 

On the day after the Eid, I took out the time to prepare "sheerkhurma" the special drink for myself as well as for my friends and acquaintances in the hospital. To this end, I had begun preparations about four or five days ago. Purchasing 3 litres of milk and a small box of saffron, plus the needed quantity of all the dry fruit that is needed for making this drink, I was busy dicing the dry fruit a few days before the actual preparation. 

The actual preparation takes about three hours, as the milk has to be boiled first. 

Boiling the milk

Boiling and reducing the milk further

The sheerkhurma is ready ... yum.

After this, one takes a big cooking vessel, adds ghee to it, and once that is hot, one fries all the chopped dry fruit in it; then, one adds sugar, chopped dried dates, and milk to this mix. Also, one adds vermicelli. I used roasted vermicelli for the same. 

After this, one boils and boils the milk till it is reduced by about 25-30%. During this process, one can add yellow raisins - which will bloat up as the milk heats them. The last step is to add saffron leaves, which imparts the unique flavour to the drink. The sheerkhurma must be drunk hot ... as hot as the tongue can tolerate it. 

In some ways, this drink resembles the south Indian payasam.However, there are different kinds of payasam, but only one kind of sheerkhurma. My sheerkhurma was near perfect; the only ingredient lacking in this is called the "charoli", a humble dal-sized dry fruit that adds texture and taste to sheerkhurma.

When I took the drink-filled vessel to the hospital on the afternoon of the Eid, there was a lot of curiosity. Most people who partook of the half glass of the drink that I served to them were amazed at the taste and loved it. It was very gratifying when the hospital director also praised the drink; one of the nurses went so far as to doubt that I had made the drink! The entire drink was consumed within an hour. I regret only that I was unable to share the drink with the remaining hospital staff who would come to work in the afternoon and night shifts.

The Eid duty meant that we had to work even on an otherwise off day, viz. Friday. The loss of an off day was extremely disappointing, but I made up for it on Saturday, which was an off day. Eventually, work resumed on Sunday, and, as I write this, it has been an eventful week.

Thank you for reading this ... and have a wonderful Eid, dear readers.

On the eve of the Eid in Saudi Arabia

The peculiar employment rules of the Ministry of Health require those who are doing their duty during the Eid holidays to work for six hours in two shifts on the last two days of Ramadan (as we did during the rest of the month) and to work for eight hours (as we do during the rest of the year) on the first and second of Shawwal, the ensuing month ... the first of Shawwal being also the Eid feast day. Thus, this time, I did the split duties on Tuesday and Wednesday, but on the Thursday and Friday, I would be doing the full day's duty. 

This is then compensated by the management granting us 4 days' leave. This is the so-called MURABTA. Thus, while my colleague is enjoying his leave in Egypt, I'll be busy doing work - including the next two days. However, I should probably not complain, since that's the way the cookie crumbles out here.

Anyways, Ramadan was quite interesting. There wasn't much work. Dr. Yasser was here with me for the first two weeks, and it is only after that that he left for Egypt on his annual vacation. Just before he left, I was able to travel to Makkah for my Umrah, alhamdolillah.

Back at work, emergency calls were few and far between. There were a few challenges, but that was it. During the long afternoons that ended with the return to duty at nine p.m., I slept, surfed the net, studied (a little), chatted with online friends, called my family and so on and so forth. I fasted as usual, and broke my fasts at home except for a few days, when I was invited to break the fast with my friends Salman (from the pharmacy) and Dr. Emaam (from the ER). Both the experiences were fantastic.

I cooked very little food, as I had lots of food leftover from the past month, as well as the items that I had brought from the Asian restaurant during my last visit to Ta'if. In addition, I was unable to eat a lot of food on account of the different eating hours. In the end, I cooked barely 4-5 times during the entire month, not counting snacky items like fried potatoes, samosas, etc. 

To sum it up, it was an interesting month. And now, I am looking forward to what happens during the next three months.  And that's it for now.

Ramadan ... your last week is upon us.

As I did in India, I am now counting the days to the end of the holy month and the celebration of Eid. Alas, it isn't the same here as it is in India. The Arabs call the Eid as the day of the Feast. They prepare their delicacies and they eat them in the afternoon of the first of the ensuing month after Ramadan (which is, by the way, Shawwal). In India, we prepare shirkhurma, a payasam-like dish with milk, dry fruit, dates and vermicelli, all cooked in pure ghee. A drink that I miss here in Saudi Arabia, although I did make it last year, and perhaps will make it this year as well. Let's see.

After the departure for vacation of my colleague Dr. Yasser, I am alone here in the department of Pediatrics. This means that I am continuously on-call, and cannot leave the village until a substitute is provided in my place. So far, it's not been a problem, since it's only been about 7 days since he left. However, as the days pass, I am surely going to miss a break. As employees of the MOH, we are entitled to 2 days' break every fortnight, but I would like to save my break until my need to go to Riyadh, which would be in the third week of September. 

So far, Ramadan hasn't thrown up many surprises. The fasts have been long, yes, as Maghrib is only after seven p.m. However, most of the time, we live in an air-conditioned environment, so thirst isn't a big problem. Hunger, sometimes, is. My being a diabetic has led me to a snack/mini-meal every three to four hours, and that creates a major hassle, especially when I am home in the afternoon and about 5-6 feet away from a well-stocked larder and a well-stocked refrigerator. 

For iftaar, I usually eat a dinner-like meal, though I did have stuff like samosas, sandwiches, burgers, etc. on those days when I could manage to cobble together the stuff, or buy it from the one and only snack shop in the village - this one is at the end of the village, next to the garden. It is managed by Yemeni cooks and assistants. Besides the usual fare of sandwiches, tea, coffee, "tamiya" and fruit juices, they make samosas in Ramadan. The entire group of Yemeni guys who work there are great to chat with. They are humble, friendly and cooperative. 

A few days ago, I was invited to iftaar with Dr. Emaam Sayed at his home. He had also invited Drs. Mohammad, Ehab and Ahmed Ouf. The food prepared for the occasion by his wife was great. There was Molokhia (which I finished an entire plate of, drinking it like a soup), foul (beans), rice, a beef kofta curry (that I avoided, as I have left eating beef since many years), salad, juices and other miscellaneous stuff, besides samosas and large pieces of chicken (roasted). I enjoyed small portions of all the items. This is the second consecutive year that Dr. Emaam has invited me to break fast with him and some friends, and I really appreciate it. 

I have just finished compiling the first issue of the Hospital newsletter, and submitted the same to the Medical Director, Dr. Ahmed Ouf. This being the first issue, the first page is full of congratulatory messages and an editorial by me. The second page will see short interviews by a doctor, a nurse and an administrator. This time, we have featured Dr. Moataz (our Egyptian anesthetist), RN sister Nouf (the Saudi in-charge Nurse) and Mr. Abdullah Qatthani (the admin in charge of house-keeping services in the hospital). On page three, we have a clinical case, a radiological quiz scenario and a small How-to section where we plan to explore the needs of the expatriate staff in the hospital. Finally, on the last page, we have put in place a section for jokes, classified advertisements and a feedback section. As the executive editor of the newsletter, I feel very possessive of my baby, but also excited to see it reach the end of a long gestation period and expect a normal, healthy delivery of the baby in this month.

That brings me to the end of this contribution. Do let me know through comments as to how you found it. Thank you.

Nearly half done ... Ramadan goes on ... as does life.

Life has a way of creating events that we generally do not foresee. I have often desired one thing, and planned for it, and been diverted into a completely different direction. Belief by the devout Muslim is that Allah is with you all the way, and when you appear to be thwarted, He is actually protecting you against harm that you did not foresee, or is diverting you to better action that you may get benefit from. I have come to believe this, although I cannot really claim to be a devout Muslim by any stretch of imagination. I just try to be a good human being.

In my conversations with Muslim friends both here and in India, I have been told that once one says that one is a good Muslim, the statement that one is a good human being is implied. I am not sure that this is the case. For example, if you read or see the news events of revolutions happening in the largely Muslim world of the Middle East, you will find that the actions of some very devout Muslims translates to deaths for other, also devout, Muslims. Would you then call being a good Muslim also an act of good humanity? Whether one is talking of Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE or any other ME country, innumerable such examples can be provided where an act by a "good" Muslim has led to pain, misery, poverty, death and destruction. 

Those who claim that terrorists aren't really Muslims will probably rubbish my observation; the truth is, however, that these perpetrators ARE recognised as "Good" Muslims by their own supporters, who may number in their millions. Supporters of Mr. Mohammad Morsi, for example, belong to the "Muslim Brotherhood" or the "Ikhwanul Muslemeen". Mr. Morsi has been overthrown by his own countrymen, who, too, are Muslims. Both sides claim that they are in the right. Both sides comprise huge swathes of the Egyptian population. How can this be explained as an act of the benevolent religion that is called Islam?

I had planned to go for Umrah this week, but my plan was thwarted by an act of the Ministry of Health. Suddenly, they wanted a Pediatrician to go for substitutional duty in Al Khorma, a town that is about 170 km away from Al Muwayh. This time, it was my colleague Dr. Yasser's turn to go, and this effectively put paid to my plans and I am therefore right here in Al Muwayh, doing my duty as the lone pediatrician. It means that unless I wrangle a day from Dr. Yasser when he comes back on Thursday, I won't be able to perform the Umrah during Ramadan at all, as he proceeds on his annual vacation on Friday night. This also means that for nearly two months from then on, I won't be able to leave Al Muwayh until the fourth week of September, when he is due to return.

This is the chain of events that led to the substance of this post. Do let me know your experiences when you wanted to do something, and something unexpected came up and "spoiled" the fun for you. Thank you.

Day 279, Sunday, early morning, 19th August, 2012

It is about 2 a.m. in the morning here as I write this. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completed the full quota of 30 days this Ramadan and celebrates Eid-ul-Fitr in a few hours from now. I plan to join the congregation for the Eid namaaz. This is held on open ground, and one is expected to carry one's own carpet etc to pray the namaaz.

The last three days have been easy as far as the quantum of work is concerned, but the fact that one had to go for the usual duties yesterday on Friday was a bit of a dampener. The surprising thing was that there were so many patients in the OPD at night, despite this being a "holiday" day throughout the year. Not just that, we had patients from as far as a hundred km from the hospital, from places like Radwan and Um Adoom. My theory is that they probably knew that the hospital would be open, but a colleague of mine feels that they must have come to the A & E and been directed to the OPD from there by the resident doctors. Be that as it may, it was a unique thing to observe. Even on normal days, we don't have as many as 10 patients, which was the total for today. Thankfully, though, most of the cases were "cold cases", and did not need hospitalisation or any such problematic intervention.

My studies are going on, but the speed has slackened on account of the unusual twice a day OPD that I am doing since the month of Ramadan started. I console myself that now Ramadan is over, and perhaps once I go back to the previous 8-4 routine, the problems will settle down.

News from my family in India are not very encouraging for Dad ... he continues to lie in bed, but from what I have heard, his cognitive abilities are near normal; the problem is that he cannot speak coherently, and he cannot sit/stand/walk or be mobile as he was a few months ago. A male helper now attends to his needs, and thus life goes on. 

Saturday, 28th July, 2012: Invitation accepted

I was today invited for the iftaari at the home of a close friend of mine, Mr. Salman Otaibe, who works in the hospital's pharmacy. The invitation came out of the blue, in the sense that I had never expected such a great gesture from a Saudi person. This is not because I do not consider them nice; in fact, they are very helpful people in many ways. I have quite often received bounties from them that I never thought I would. For example, many a times, Saudi gentlemen and even adolescents stop their cars to give me a lift when I am on my way to the hospital. Another example I can give is my home's landlord, who has accommodated me without any fuss after my friend Dr. Shahid left for India last month. 


Thus, it was with a touch of humility and a sense of being accepted among the Saudis that I accepted the invitation. To be honest, I first thought Salman was pulling my leg. I asked him whether his parents or others at home had been informed and whether my presence would be welcome. He assured me it would be, and also informed me that he was inviting his own colleague Mr. Mohamed, and the physiotherapist at our hospital, Mr. Ahmed Obety (whom I also consider as a friend) ... along with me. I was worried about whether I was expected to honour them with a particular attire or something like that, and he laughed and said any dress would do. 

The sitting room with a large chandelier

The large sufraa laid out with varied fare

He came to pick me up at half past six in the evening. Taking me to his house which is located in a more distant part of Al Muwayh which is known as the "Mukhattat", he chatted with me about his family and other similar stuff. Entering his house's compound, I was led to the main house, where I was taken first into the sitting room or the Majlis. After a little while, Salman took me inside to the dining hall, where a sufraa (a large plastic sheet) was already laid out with a large variety of snacks, bowls of dates, and a large tray with jars of water, sweet-lime juice and other drinks. Here are some pictures of the setting I was welcomed into. Gradually, his family members began to trickle in. The first of these was his younger brother; then, two more of his younger brothers walked in, followed by his other guests Mr. Mohamed and Mr. Ahmed. About five minutes before the actual time of the Maghrib azaan, which is also the time to break the fast, the elders came in, including his father, his uncle and his eldest brother. 

Mr Salman Otaibe with the iftaar items ready for consumption

When the sound of the azaan in the adjoining mosque broke the small talk that was taking place, the gathering took helpings of the fresh dates and broke their fasts. Salman's father was effusive in his manner and exhorted me repeatedly to eat, and to eat well. I was touched. The entire group was then busy eating snacks like samosas, "bhajias", "pizza-like slices", 

The ornate ceiling of the dining room

fruit, chicken pattice, and so on. Salman himself was the serving host, and he busied himself filling glasses of water and juice for each of the nine other persons sitting in our gathering. 


Presently, it was time to end the eating and go for the namaaz. We all got up, and walked to the adjoining mosque where we all joined the gathering for the Maghrib prayers.


This accomplished, we returned to Salman's house for the next course of food, viz. a formal dinner. The previous fare was not removed, but we were served bread, shorba (soup), baked vegetables, and a brinjal curry, along with generous and repetitive helpings of black tea.

From L->R, Salman, his uncle, his elder brother and his father

Salman, the serving host for all

Two of Salman's brothers

L->R, Salman's father, Salman's fourth brother, Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Mohamed

The entire experience was, for me, unique in more ways than one; it was, at the same time, an honour to be invited into a Saudi's home, and, an opportunity to see the culture of Saudis in relation to the customs of Ramadan and iftaar. I am attaching a few more pictures of the evening with the entire gathering assembled around the sufraa.


Do comment on this entry and oblige.


Thanks.

Ramadan - more news

Okay, so I started in right earnest by doing the first fast; after this, the rest were a breeze, but I did miss about four or five so far; a couple, I missed because of no particular reason other than the fact that I had more work in the day time and no energy to fast. In spite of these issues, I have managed to remain in good health so far, and intend to fast till the end, which is just about a week away. My last fast will be on the 19th of September and Inshallah, our Eid will be on the following day, that is, the 20th of September, which is a Sunday.

During Ramadan, I try not to talk abusively, to do charity with patients, to avoid confrontations at home and at work, and to generally be a good human being. Whether I succeed or not is for the others to say, and for Allah to witness.

Apart from fasting, I pray the Maghrib and Esha prayers regularly, the morning and afternoon prayers on occasion, and read the Quran on most days. There are a few other prayer books that I try to read, but the lack of time prevents me from reading much of those.

I have gone out with my family on one occasion to "eat" the special Ramadan offerings, and while I can say that I really enjoyed myself, I think my wife just about tolerated it and my daughters liked it, though less than how much I did. We had sauted goat kidneys and brain with Indian bread and also had the hearty malpua with rabri - all at Mohamedali Road's famous Minara Masjid Lane (Ibrahim Merchant Lane). My brother Murtuza and his wife Sakina also ate with us, and I sponsored them. The total bill: about Rs. 450/=!

That's about it for now.

Twenty rozas over today

In about one and a half hours from now, two-thirds of Ramadan will have got over, barring the shouting. I have, with the blessings of Allah, completed all the twenty fasts (rozas) so far, and plan on doing all. I admit that so far, I have NEVER done all the 30 fasts in any year, so I will definitely congratulate myself if I manage to do all of them.

The rains have almost receded, and with that, the temperatures have begun to rise. The feeling of thirst and hunger are contradictory to each other. During the colder days, hunger pains are more while one does not feel so thirsty; in summer, or when the climate is hot, thirst calls for quick resolution, while hunger takes a back-seat! This divine balancing enables the devout Muslim to complete his fasts without much hassle.

I have found to my pleasant surprise that it is not altogether that difficult to fast if one puts one's mind to it. My daughter fasted with me for the first eighteen days, but from the nineteenth day, I prevailed over her and banned her from fasting as her studies and sleep patterns were getting disturbed. This is not a very Islamic thing to do, but, as a parent, I had to take this difficult decision as she is in her pre-degree (XIIth) year, and the examinations that she will face in February and June will either make her career or break it. Thankfully, she agreed to see my side of the whole thing and has now stopped requesting me to lift the restriction of not fasting. In a matter of just days, she has reverted to her old self and eats very well indeed. I fear she may again put on the pounds that she lost during the first eighteen days.

In contrast, Hannah, the younger one, has so far completed just five rozas; she plans to do the fasts on Saturdays and Sundays only, and that too only if she is free from other tensions and responsibilities.

My wife's paternal aunt and her husband arrived at our house yesterday. Being Punjabis, their lifestyle has zest and enthusiasm that is unparalleled in India. Their first day's stay in our house was full of our hosting their comfort, food, and so on. They are staying here today as well. I shall try and post their photograph soon in this post.

That's all for today.

Ramadan has started

... And so has my fasting. Every year, I turn over the proverbial "new leaf" in Ramadan. All through the year, I am a non-conformist, who, despite abiding belief in Allah and Islam, hardly ever pray the Namaaz or read the Qur'an. Come the holy month of Ramadan, and I get transformed from being an irreligious person into an Allah-fearing, Namaaz-praying, Qur'an reading individual. I fast too. In short, I change into a new person!

So far, there have been six fasts, and I have done them all. I have no doubt that if my resolve does not waver, I should be able to finish all fasts.My elder daughter Inas is also doing all the fasts.