Lal Hussain, 66, “Ramazan drummer”, beats his drum while ringing the doors of Bani, a former residential district of Rawalpindi. PHOTO: AFP
RAWALPINDI:
A centuries-old tradition in the subcontinent of waking residents for sehri during the holy month of Ramazan expires today in Rawalpindi, as technological advancements and changing social habits make the practice increasingly obsolete.
For generations, men would walk through Muslim neighborhoods before dawn, first banging empty tin cans and then drums, calling on worshipers to rise for their meal before the fast.
However, with the rise of modern technology and social media, many city dwellers no longer sleep until sehri. Instead, they stay up past midnight, engaged in worship or browsing online platforms.
Historically, this practice dates back around 500 years, when lamps were lit at high points to signal the time of sehri. As soon as the lights appeared, the residents understood that it was time to wake up.
Later, groups of men replaced the lamps with empty cans of ghee and cooking oil tied around their necks with rope, hitting them with small sticks while shouting, “Rise, those who are fasting, it is time for sehri.” » This practice was considered both a virtuous act and a seasonal means of subsistence.
Subsequently, loudspeakers and sirens became popular means of alerting residents. Sirens still sound in many places – usually an hour before sehri and again at iftar time. Throughout Ramazan, these groups would make their rounds, returning on Eid to collect flour, sugar, tea, rice or cash as eidi from grateful households.
Tin cans gradually gave way to drums, and until the early 2000s, many groups continued the tradition. But over time, their numbers have decreased.
What was once two or three competing groups is now reduced to a handful. Today, some residents object to the morning drumming, arguing that children are sleeping, students are studying and elderly or sick family members are being disturbed. In previous decades, families would welcome the callers and reward them generously on the occasion of Eid.
In Punjab, waking up residents for sehri remained a seasonal occupation for 70-80 years. Today, even the few who continue often receive little or no eidi.
Fareeduddin, a caller from Sehri, who recently completed his Ramazan tour in Rawalpindi, said the tradition runs in his family. “Both my grandfather and my father performed this duty every Ramazan. We have three brothers; two left the job, and now my own son no longer continues it. I keep alive the mission of my ancestors, even though it is becoming more and more difficult. It is a great virtue. Until 2000, we were appreciated. Today, people argue with us. On several occasions, my drum was snatched away and was returned only after many supplications, accompanied by warnings not to enter certain streets again.”
Where Rawalpindi once had between 15 and 20 such groups, there are now only three left – and they may even disappear in the coming years. Residents say that with scientific advances and cell phone alarms, traditional callers no longer need to be used.
The practice of signaling sehri and iftar with cannon fire is also ancient in the Arab world. In Egypt, the tradition of firing cannons to mark the time of sehri is said to have begun in 1439 and gradually spread across the Arab region and the subcontinent. Over the centuries, various methods have evolved, each reflecting the uses of its time.
What was once a valued community ritual and source of seasonal income is now on the verge of disappearing, overtaken by modern life and changing social rhythms.
