Inspired by her parents, grandparents and elder sisters’ enthusiasm and devotion towards the holy month of Ramadan, four-year-old Shehnaz Anwar Shaikh has been keeping ‘roza’ (fasting) for the past 23 days and is determined to continue till Eid ul-Fitr (the festival of breaking the fast).
Three Sisters Dedicated Roza In The Holy Month Of Ramadan
Shehnaz observes roza with her elder sisters Gulnaz and Asra by not eating or drinking anything until evening. They break the fast in the evening in a ceremony known as iftar. What makes their fasting noteworthy is that they are aged between four and six years. Usually, only kids above seven years fast during Ramadan. Despite proposals from their family to wait for a couple of years to observe roza, due to concerns of difficulties fasting in summer, nothing has deterred the girls.
The youngest of the three, Shehnaz, started observing roza last year. The girls, who aspire to become teachers and doctors, belong to a lower-middle-class family. In addition to following the strict rules of Ramadan, they also try to read the chapters of the holy Quran. While their grandfather, Akbar Shaik is an auto-rickshaw driver, their father Anwar Shaikh repairs mobile phones for a living.
Former Legislator And Pratap Sarnaik Visits The Family
After learning about their devotion, former legislator Muzaffar Hussain and sitting MLA Pratap Sarnaik visited the family on Thursday to shower them with praises.
“I am proud of these children and their elders. Keeping roza not only enriches the mind, body and spirit scientifically, but hunger and thirst are also reminders that many people are deprived of food and water which is an important part of life and should not be wasted,” Sarnaik said.
