City Moment – Breaking the Fast, Jama Masjid

City Moment – Breaking the Fast, Jama Masjid

City Moment – Breaking the Fast, Jama Masjid

The beautiful Delhi instant.

[Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi]

One evening The Delhi Walla was in Jama Masjid, the grand mosque that Mughal emperor Shahjahan built in 1628. The gigantic courtyard was taken over by hundreds of men, women and children. Its open space made the dark-blue sky look as vast as an ocean.

The domes, minarets and ramparts of the mosque were strung with fairy lights. It was about time to break the roza, the day-long fast that Muslims keep in the month of Ramzan. People were sitting on the stone floor in groups of families and friends, circling platters of sliced fruits, spiced chickpeas, vegetable fritters, potato chips, and soft drink bottles. The monsoon breeze was bringing relief from the season’s humidity.

At 7.10 pm, a great boom thundered through the mosque, signaling the end of the fast. Another boom followed. Everyone started to eat. Everyone was quiet. It was a beautiful moment.

Breezy evening

City Moment – Breaking the Fast, Jama Masjid

Waiting for the boom

City Moment – Breaking the Fast, Jama Masjid

Eat now

City Moment – Breaking the Fast, Jama Masjid

The day’s first meal

City Moment – Breaking the Fast, Jama Masjid

God is great

City Moment – Breaking the Fast, Jama Masjid