For 'lavish' Haj, the rich get five-star stay, multi-cuisine buffet

As the Haj pilgrims clad in ihram, men in two-piece, unstitched white fabric and women in loose-fitting, modest clothing, exit from Haj terminals in Jeddah or Medina, the waiting luxury cars transfer them to the five-star hotels facing the Haram Sharif.

Located at almost a whispering distance from the sacred sanctuaries in the two cities, the high-end opulent hotel rooms provide vantage view of the holy sites. The pilgrims seek divine blessings and send salams to the holy Prophet as they gaze at the sacred sites.

This year's Haj is in the last week of May.

This is about the pilgrims who have used "lavish Haj packages" to perform Haj in comfort. The comforts on the pilgrimage come with a price tag. Many super rich among the Muslims opt to utilize the convenience at almost every step during the holy trip. The comforts are reflected in accommodation both at the hotels and in the tent city of Mina and the plains of Arafat, in the vehicles they use, and the food and beverages they are offered.

"The package is tailored to suit the demand and taste of the rich pilgrims who are ready to pay for these luxuries. This is a religious journey no doubt, but why should not the pilgrims travel and stay in comfort if they have enough money to pay for?," asks Yusuf Ahmed Kherada, a Mumbai-based leading Haj and Umrah tour organiser operating for 36 years.

The trend, says Kherada, picked up after actor Aamir Khan requested "special, comfortable accommodation and travel" when he took his mother for Haj in 2011. "We made special requests to the Saudi authorities and arrangements were made at a premium cost," adds Kherada. And once it was done for Aamir and his mother, demands came for the high-end services by many others with deep pockets.

Nowhere is this "luxurious stay" more evident during the 20-day or 40-day stay in Saudi Arabia than in the tent city of Mina and at the plains of Arafat. "The tents made of gypsum boards are airconditioned. The pilgrims who have paid a premium price are put up at Kidana towers or in the very comfortable tents at Mina. These pilgrims are allotted tents close to the Jamarat, the pillars pilgrims ritually stone," explains Imran Alvi, another tour organiser for two decades.

Ebrahim Hashim Kolsawala (Baba Bhai), a senior tour organiser in the city, says that the "luxury package" is non-shifting, meaning the pilgrims under this category do not have to move to any other hotels and stay in Haram Sharif's proximity.

In Mecca, Haram Sharif is the massive sacred precinct that encloses the cube-shaped ancient Kaaba while in Medina this sacred sanctuary refers to the Prophet's Mosque which also houses his tomb.

The cost of accommodation also depends on how far or near to these holy sites the pilgrims are put up.

And if premier class of accommodation and travel is offered to these affluent pilgrims (out of around 1,75,000 India's Haj quota this year, around 1, 25,000 are going through the Haj Committee of India while the rest are choosing private tour organisers), food cannot be ignored. Kherada says he carries cooks from India to prepare dishes for multi-cuisine buffet while Alvi maintains his caterer has employed Indian cooks. From daal makhni to kebabs, mutton korma, paya, Mughlai and continental, the guests have a wide choice. "Food is not just about filling the stomach. It is about getting a feeling that we are at home even if we are away from home,," says government contractor Shahid Shaikh who has chosen theservices of Kherada's Hajtour company in Mumbai.

However, there are some who criticise this "display of wealth" for the holy trip. "Haj should be done at modest expenses. The money used on the luxury Haj should be used to fund welfare schemes in the community," says Nasir Jamal, a former member of the Central Haj Committee.