Manisha Mondal
9 May, 2020
Refugees at a Rohingya camp in Delhi said they have to rely on fruit carts during lockdown, making this year's Ramzan an expensive, and nearly unaffordable affair.
Eleven-year-old Sahida offers the Maghrib prayers in evening | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
New Delhi: Occurring in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, Ramzan this year looks nothing like it has before.
Social distancing has prevented people from coming together like they would have normally, while the economic hardship due to loss of jobs and salary cuts has left families struggling.
At the Rohingya refugee camp near Okhla in the national capital, the situation feels even more bleak as people say the lockdown has limited access to essentials required during Ramzan.
Since they can’t always go to shops to buy fruits, dates and Rooh Afza — the typical Iftar meal eaten to break the day’s fast — people depend on carts that come to the camp. However, these are usually more expensive than local markets, making them unaffordable for the refugees.
The small mosque built within the camp has been shut to prevent transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. Instead, people now offer namaz at home.
ThePrint, which was at the camp during an Iftar, brings you snapshots from the lives of the refugees.
Children gather around a watermelon vendor as people from the camp look to buy fruit | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
Maryam offers prayers before she breaks fast. For her Iftar meal, she has bought one watermelon and cooked a jackfruit | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
Minara prepares cuts up fruit as she prepares the Iftar meal for her three children | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
While some just eat fruits, others prepare a more elaborate meal for Iftar | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
Having said their prayers, Jafar and his family eat their first meal after breaking fast | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
A Rooh Afza sharbat, made with fruit, is a Ramzan speciality. Jafar’s family are having it for the first time this festival | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
Dates are another common food one will find among households during Ramzan | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
With the local mosque shut, everyone now offer prayers at home. Here, Sahida can be seen offering namaz | Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
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