From one royal cup in Jammu & Kashmir to another in Bhopal, a Ramzan special of last Nawab

BHOPAL: The historic Old City, the sights and surroundings of which once went by the moniker ‘Arz-eBhopal’, is bedecked with trademark colour and glitter as the holy month of Ramzan is half-way through in city.

The heritage lanes and bylanes of the Old City, its landmark mosques and other prayer sites are lit up as much by decorative lights and neons as the smiling faces milling around food lanes, mingling over Ramzan delicacies and not counting hours as joyful evenings melt into celebratory nights.

For some, as festive vibes take hold of the city during the fasting month, there isn’t a better time to take a trip down memory lane, recalling ageless Ramzan moments in the company of family and friends.

In a free-wheeling conversation with TOI , SM Hussain, a prominent Bhopal based conservation architect who draws his lineage from Bhopal’s noblesse, shared a few golden nuggets of how the last Nawab had his culinary staff serve a special ‘chai’ (tea), a brew from the heavens made of ‘nayab’ (rare) ingredients, to his guests, fellow royalty and peasants after offering his evening Ramzan prayers.

Hussain, a skilled raconteur whose mother, Mubarak Jahan Begum, was born into royalty and was the great granddaughter of Nawab Wazir Mohammed Khan, one of Bhopal’s 13 Nawabs, said,“Not many would know that it was customary for Bhopal’s last Nawab, Hamidullah Khan, to invite his peers, guests and peasants to tea after offering his evening prayers during Ramzan.”

“However, it was no ordinary chai that his guests were treated to. It was a very special Kashmiri tea brewed with several rare and precious ingredients such as zafran (saffron), mushk (musk) and ambar (ambergris). Another unique feature about this chai was that it was made using khalis (pure) milk. The recipe for this chai was shared by the khansama (royal cook) of Maharaja Hari Singh (the last ruling monarch of Jammu and Kashmir) to his counterpart in the employ of the 13th Nawab,” added Hussain, who previously served as the convenor and co-convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Bhopal chapter, for more than 10 years.

Sharing a trivia about his mother, who was married to the great grandson of Peer Syed Suleiman bin Salman Baghdadi, Hussain said, “Sadar Manzil (ancestral mansion) was lit up with colourful lanterns and dazzling fireworks during the Roza Khushayi (age-old Ramzan custom of sharing the festive cheer with impoverished people and children) of my Ammi (mother) back in 1936. A grand shamiyana (ceremonial tent), Hazara (a unit of a thousand royal sentinels or soldiers) and brass bands added to the event’s splendour. Vilayat Mohammed Khan, who held a jagir (land received as gift from kings) comprising 22 villages and went by the title of Wala Qadar, gifted 52 guns to my mother on her Roza Khushayi, after learning of her love for firearms.”

In what he said was another standout feature of the celebrations of Bhopal’s last Nawab during the fasting month, he would send out delectable Ramzan delicacies such as Sheer Khurma (a vermicelli pudding flavoured with dry fruits) and other rare items as gifts in richly embellished covers to his peers near and far, including the Maharajas of Jaipur and Jaisalmer and the Nizam of Hyderabad.