Mumbai: The holy month of Ramzan will conclude on 21 April with Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations and for Zee Theatre’s artists, Vaquar Shaikh, Shahbaz Khan, and Zakir Hussain, this time of fasting, prayer and reflection is very special.

Shaikh who stars in  ‘Kasganj,’  Zee Theatre’s brooding cop drama, said he started keeping ‘Rozas’ around the age of 14 and celebrated Eid in the cantonment as his father was in the army. He recalled, “Even though it was hard to fast the whole day as a teenager, the prospect of delicious food in the evening during ‘Iftar’ kept me going. As a token of appreciation, my grandfather would give me a rupee every day and it is still one of my favourite memories.”

Since then, Shaikh has of course understood the deeper significance of Ramzan and said, “This time teaches you self-discipline and hunger teaches us to empathise with the hungry and to help people in need. Ramzan is  also a time to cleanse ourselves and refrain from speaking ill of anyone, rejecting feelings of envy and living with compassion and gratitude.”

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Shaikh often has extended shoots during Ramzan and shared, “Speaking long dialogues while remaining thirty can be challenging but I manage it. I also make it a point to spend time with my family during ‘Sehri’ in the morning and ‘Iftar’ in the evening. At home, we all chip in to make milkshakes, juices, samosas, kababs, biryani,  sheer khurma and fruit chaat. This family time is the most beautiful part of Ramzan for me. This year though festivities will be a little low-key as I lost my dad last year and this will be our first Eid without him.”

Khan who played poet Daagh Dehlvi in Zee Theatre’s teleplay, ‘Daag-O-Hijab’ has many childhood memories associated with Ramzan and said, “As a child, I looked forward to the ‘sehri’ that my mother made so special with her presence and her cooking. Now Ramzan has become a month of self-introspection away from the chaos of worldly pleasures. Fasting teaches you what hunger is all about and you realise that even a little percentage of your earnings can change someone’s life forever.” This is also a time, he says, to detox the mind, body and soul, forge a deeper bond with God and strive to grow into a better human being. This year as always, he hopes to spend   Eid with family and friends and says, “Eid is all about bonding, eating and laughing together.”

Hussain who starred in Zee Theatre’s teleplays “Rajdarshan” and “Baaki Itihaas” said, “Ramzan is about balancing and detoxifying your mind and body and learning the value of every mouthful. I like staying busy while keeping ‘rozas’ because, during a shoot, your mind is focused towards your work and not distracted by hunger or thirst. I am looking forward to celebrating Eid with loved ones and enjoying ‘kheer’ and ‘sewainyaan.’ I also hope to internalise  the spiritual lessons learnt during this month of fasting so that going forward, they remain with me every single day.”

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