New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Mumbai’s iconic ‘Muhammad Ali Road street food bazaar' will remain closed during the holy month of Ramadan starting from April 23 this year in the wake of lockdown in-place to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Situated in the heart of India’s financial and showbiz capital which has braved country’s deadliest attacks from the terrorists and nature in the last few decades, the coronavirus pandemic has forced the closure of one of country’s most sought-after and wildly popular spot of culinary solitude for the first time in over 250-years of existence, and that also during the month of Ramadan – when the variety and exclusivity of non-veg delicacies and assorted desserts and beverages are at its drop dead finest in Mumbai’s landmark ‘bazaar’.
However, the home to, what culinary enthusiasts call ‘best desserts found in traditional-styled bazaar’ will continue to wear deserted look this time.
"This is a sad truth. We are planning to request Mumbai Police Commissioner to at least grant us permission for two hours during the evening 'iftaar'. The morning 'sehri' people will somehow manage," a sad Abdul Rehman Khan, the owner of Bazaar’s landmark restaurant, 'Mashaallah Cuisine', which is frequented by the food lovers just behind the centuries-old Minara Masjid, was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.
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"The main market is spread around a km on each side of the Minara Masjid, the rest is a spillover that comes up during Ramzan owing to the huge demand. The main market has around 100-plus food stalls, the spillover comprises another 400-odd sellers. It's a celebration of 'National Integration through food' in Ramzan," Khan told IANS.
The street-food market's past is directly knitted with the Minara Masjid, the local Urdu scribe Aejaz Ahmed Ansari said while quoting the legends passed down to him by his forefathers.
"The 24x7 Ramzan market started as tiny food stalls around this mosque and kept expanding over the centuries. But in the past six-seven decades, it acquired a cult-status for the sheer variety of food, their unique preparation styles and memorable taste, attracting people from around the world," Ansari said as reported by IANS.
As per Karim Patel (62), a local businessman near Minara Masjid, Muslims comprise barely 25 percent of the patrons, the rest comprise around 60 percent non-Muslims and remaining foreigners or tourists.
"Certain varieties of food and desserts are specially prepared or available only during Ramzan, so people make it a point to come and savour these. A few are handed down by families from generations and are truly unique," Karim says with a smirk.
Karim added that each stall employs roughly 10 individuals with Ramadan specialists being called upon from across the country.
“Though the theme is Mughlai cuisine, we get specialized 'Khansamas' (traditional master chefs) of biryanis from Lucknow, niharis from Delhi, tawa food experts from Bahraich (UP), and the like,” said Karim
Bazaar’s regular connoisseur Rakesh Upadhyay, an Ayurvedic pharmacist from Borivali recalls roaming on street-food Bazaar streets some days after 1993 blasts along with two of his friends. The market wasn’t close even in those horrific times post the serial terrorist bomb blasts and subsequent riots which broke across Mumbai.
The market is frequented by commoners and celebrities, diplomats, domestic and tourists in and out of the country, and connoisseurs with many bigwigs like Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sanjay Dutt just quietly wait in their tinted glass vehicles, collect their packed food without any fanfare and retreat with their food elsewhere. In past, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajendra Kumar, Raj Kapoor would frequent the place with huge fanfare across all the ends of Minari Masjid.
(With IANS Inputs)