Ramzan Mubarik

I forgot how enchanting of a city Hyderabad is during Ramzan. Each night starting at sundown, the city begins to light up... small white and yellow lights strewn all over the city. Despite the horrible roads torn up from monsoons, my rides home have never been so cinematic -- in part because I hardly ever leave early enough to see the sun set over the lake... but do this month, mostly inspired with helping ensure Amjad gets to his mosque on time (I have noticed, for the first time, a certain positive correlation with speeding and the hours approaching darkness) -- has has, after all, been up since 4am and had his last meal of the day at 4:30am.

Maybe it's because I've just come from the US, but the calls to prayer sound louder, longer, and more beautiful (helped by the fact that I no longer wake up to the morning calls, having now moved to a new apartment). I look out of my office window and see a community gathering where the mosque next door has organized a feast for the needy, which a colleague tells me is called a "Maweed Rahman".

Tyler and I decide to go to the Old City and Charminar one night. Too bad for us that the small rain droplets that started soon after we left decide to massively pour down once we're there and walking around. Even the hawkers and bangle-wallas decide the rain is too much and cover up their wares, taking refuge under whatever canopies are available.

No matter, we still see Charminar lit up, and visit the Mecca Masjid. Built in the 17th century, it is one of the oldest and largest mosques in Andhra Pradesh; incredibly, it can hold 10,000 people. Alas, we are not two of them, for they turn us away as quickly as we get there.

The rain is getting harder, but we're determined not to leave until we get what we came here for: haleem -- pounded meat and wheat grounded into a thick stew. We go on a hunt for Pista House -- recommended by Amjad and ubiquitous everywhere else in the city, except apparently in Old City. Deciding we're probably not haleem conisseurs anyway, we settle on a place near our first non-date "date":