UP: A Hindu family has been waking up 'rozedaars' for 'sehri' for 50 years

For Muslims around the world, the holy month of Ramzan is a time for devotion and discipline. But in Kauriya, a small village in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district, Ramzan also symbolises deep, interfaith camaraderie.

For the past 50 years, the Hindu family of Gulab Yadav has been ensuring that Muslims in the village wake up on time for sehri, the pre-dawn meal consumed before fasting commences during Ramzan.

For 45-year-old Yadav and his 12-year-old son Abhishek, sleep is a luxury they forgo during Ramzan. Every night at 1.00 am, father and son set out on foot, armed with a torch and a stick to ward off stray dogs, walk through the village, stop at every Muslim household, and don't leave until they are certain that the families are awake for sehri.

There is an old saying: "Foster such friendship that religion never becomes a barrier — if you walk them to a temple, they should walk you to a mosque." Yadav embodies this sentiment, carrying forward a tradition started by his father Chirkit Yadav way back in 1975.

While mosques usually issued wake-up calls to rozedaars — people observing the traditional Ramzan fast or roza — using loudspeakers, a recent Supreme Court directive on noise pollution has led to stricter curbs on loudspeakers at religious sites.

As a result, Yadav's dedicated effort has become even more significant. Recalling his early years, Yadav said as a child, he never fully understood why his father went out at night, waking people up for sehri. But as he grew older, he came to appreciate the deeper meaning behind the tradition. "Now, I find great peace in doing this," he said.

A daily-wage labourer by profession, Yadav spends most of the year working in Delhi. But when Ramzan approaches, he returns to his village to uphold his family's five-decade-old custom.

He hopes to instil a sense of responsibility in his son, just as his father did for him. Every night, he takes young Abhishek along, teaching him the importance of their family's sacred tradition. "I want my son to continue this after me, just like I did after my father," he said.

After their father passed away, Yadav's elder brother took on the responsibility for a few years. "But when his eyesight weakened, he had to stop. Since then I have taken over, and I will keep returning every Ramzan to do this," he said.

Yadav's commitment has not gone unnoticed. His efforts are widely appreciated in the village, and his Muslim neighbours regard him with deep respect.

"Waking people up for sehri is a noble deed. Gulab bhai makes sure that no one is left behind. He spends two hours making rounds of the village, and then he goes around once again to double-check that everyone has eaten. What could be more sacred than this?" asked Shafiq, Yadav's neighbour,

Shafiq also quoted a couplet perfectly capturing Yadav's work: "When both Gita and Quran preach love, why should there be discord between Hindus and Muslims?"

He feels since Ramzan is one of the pillars of Islam, Yadav has set an inspiring example of Hindu-Muslim unity by helping his neighbours observe the fast during the holy month.

At a time when government restrictions on loudspeakers at religious sites have changed the way sehri was traditionally announced, Yadav's personal touch — knocking on doors, shouting out names and ensuring no one is left behind — serves as a powerful testament to harmony and coexistence.

His dedication spanning generations is not just a story of tradition, but a lesson for the world, as Shafiq aptly put it.