The holy month of the Islamic festival, Ramadan, has begun right in the middle of the Indian summer. In Ramadan, our Muslim brothers refrain from eating for the entire day, from sunrise till sunset. They break this fast at sunset with a meal called Iftar, with friends and family together.
One popular item in this Iftar is the rose flavored syrup, Rooh Afza, and given the scorching heat, there is no surprise that Rooh Afza is in great demand.
Rooh Afza is loved by Hindus and Muslims alike, and imagine the wave of disappointment that is spreading throughout the nation when news of a shortage of Rooh Afza breaks out.
Yes, you read it right. The popular syrup which has found its uses in sherbets, milkshakes, and icecreams as well, is facing a shortage in India.
What is the reason behind this shortage? And how will it be recovered? Read on to know all about it!
Real Reason Behind Shortage of Rooh Afza
On one hand, the reason of a lack of some prominent constituents of the syrup is being floated around. Mansoor Ali, chief sales and marketing officer at Hamdard, said, “We are facing supply constraints of certain herbal ingredients. We hope to fix the demand supply gap within a week.”
Ali also clairfied that this is a shortage that was ‘unforeseen’, and ingredients required in the making of the syrup are always stocked up in advance.
On the other hand, a rumour about a rift in the family has been cited as the reason behind the discontinuation of production of Rooh Afza. Apparently, there is a dispute between Abdul Majeed, great-grandson of Hamdard founder Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed, and Abdul Majeed’s cousin Hammad Ahmed over the control of the company.
An executive of the company, on terms of anonymity, said, “There is a short supply since over four months now due to family feud. Production was stopped in November last year and resumed in mid-April.”
Pakistan to Help India?
Extending a helping hand is none other than Pakistan, who offered to send over supplies to India if permitted by the government.
The trade between Pakistan and India was stopped after the Pulwama attack, but there is a possibility that the shortfall of Rooh Afza might open up the gates.
For those who dont know, Rooh Afza was first started by Hamdard Dawakhana in India in 1906 in Delhi by Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed. After the partition, one of his sons Hakim Mohammed Saeed shifted to Pakistan and set up another branch of Hamdard there, called Hamdard Laboratories Pakistan.
The MD and CEO of Hamdard Pakistan, Usama Qureshi tweeted, “We can supply RoohAfza and RoohAfzaGO to India during this Ramzan. We can easily send trucks through Wahga (sic) border if permitted by Indian Government.”
Whether it is lack of ingredients or a family dispute, let’s hope we get our hands on the much loved Rooh Afza one way or the other!
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.