Today on Spoon Fork And Food we have the very artistic , adroit, versatile, consummate food photographer and the gypsy feet travelogue owner Bilal Vohra. Bilal is proficient, religious and truly gifted by God. His work of art speaks for itself, the freelance writer and photographer at The Pioneer and author, photographer at Second Last Supper lives in the capital of the country, New Delhi. Coming from the city of Kanpur, Bilal is a traveler and loves to capture every moment of his journey in his camera. Few of his articles like The tricoloured water of Cape Comorin , Tracing footprints in Assam , Ladakhi Cuisine are a must read.
A die heart foodie who loves to eat almost everything that is edible and halal is truly gifted with his photographic skills. Whether is a portrait or a landscape, a restaurant food or a travel coverage, Bilal and his camera compliments each other well and that can be easily seen through his amazing pictures. Have a look …
Today it’s a pleasure and a moment of proud to have such a great talent with us. The very smart and handsome Bilal Vohra not just being a foodie, is also very religious by heart and soul. The God fearing youngster shares his story with us about Ramadan and Eid, the way India celebrates and the way he personally celebrates. So let us quickly proceed to see what Bilal has to say to our readers.
The world revolves around the sun and there is no denying to the fact that it is the most important
source of energy for every living being but the moon is second to none. From deciding the tidal
times, to crafting a set of religious calendars around it, the moon plays a crucial life in every human
being’s life.
Ramadan/Ramzan is one of the months in Islamic calendar, which is crafted around the phases of
moon. The month marks the commencement of 1 whole month of fasting, self-control and
introspection for Muslims across the globe. The idea is to stay away from sinful and unwelcoming
acts as a measure of personal check by staying hungry all through the day light. Any practicing
Muslim needs to wake up before the brink of dawn, eat or drink what they want, pray and then stay
hungry all through the day light and only eat/drink when the dusk starts to set it. This is a stern
reminder for anyone to avoid bad deeds.
My personal induction in this happened when I was 12. As a kid, you get a warm fuzzy feeling about
this, where everyone in your family and friends is greeting you on the day one. You aren’t really
hungry or thirsty but you have a sudden urge to just pull out a bottle of water and gulp it down or
maybe smack your face into the sweet box. Being honest, I even forgot a number of times I was
fasting and even did these things, which is completely ok, if you didn’t remember you had a fast.
After 1 whole month of fasts, it boils down to Eid ul Fitr or simply Eid. The day of celebration, where
family and friends get along to welcome the next Islamic month. Eid across the Indian Peninsula is
similar, with all family wearing new clothes (mostly a Kurta Payjama) the males head to the
mosque, to offer the eid namaz. The females after prayers get along to cook a lavish spread of
mindboggling food. The savory items might vary from biryani, kawab, kormal, stew to haleem but
the sweet section has a number of offerings from Sewain(vermicelli ).
We are lucky to have 3 different form of sewai every year for sure. One is the usual mild sweet, light
orange colored, the next is Banarsi with thin ductile shape which is pre-roasted. The last one is
probably the most celebrated and famous one across the globe called Sheer Khurma or just Sheer
which is sewain in milk and dry fruits, it is a glutton’s treat.
For years me and my brother have been away from parents, initially it was the studies then it was
work/professional life but Eid and Bakrid are 2 festivals where we come back home. Wherever we
are, whatever we are doing. It all stops and we head back home to be one as a family.
You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them – Desmond Tutu
