Ramadan brings one of Delhi's last sehri criers to the streets
Mohammad Raees, like his father, keeps alive tradition of waking Muslims of India's capital for suhoor As the clock reaches 2.45am, Mohammad Raees embarks on a 90-minute dash through the alleyways of the walled city of Old Delhi, yelling “Hoshiyar” or “be alert” to waken Muslims who observe Ramadan to eat before fasting begins at sunrise. He goes to every household, climbing steep staircases, bellowing the names of the residents of Matia Mahal area near Jama Masjid, a 17th-century mosque in the heart of the capital. “I remember all their names by heart. There must be 400 families, and I make sure that no one is left out,” he told The National. Mr Raees, 45, is one of the last remaining sehriwallahs, or town criers, in old Delhi, which is home to nearly a quarter of a million Muslims. Sehriwallahs were traditionally given the job of waking residents for sehri, the Urdu word for suhoor, the early morning meal taken before fasting begins. They were once an essential part of Muslim n...