BHOPAL, March 1 -- As the month-long Ramadan season commenced in the city, the Dawoodi Bohra community observed the first of their day-long fasts on Friday.
The majority of Muslims in the state capital, belonging to the Hanafi school of thought, however, will start their month-long fasting period after the sighting of the Ramadan moon.
With the imminent arrival of the month, the ninth on the Islamic calendar, festive shoppers thronged markets in the old city to shop for dates (khajur), feni (a vermicelli-like breakfast food), and sheermal, a mildly sweet bread.
Shopkeepers say that the month of fasting used to be the peak business season for traders dealing in these edibles, which are steeped in city tradition.
They lament that their bu...