My View - Let’s make a difference this Ramadan

RAMADAN is here again. Although it is very much a Muslim-blessed month it is not irrelevant to the adherents of other faiths – many of whom practise the act of fasting in various ways.
The underpinning message, however, is very similar – namely the need to exercise restraint including abstinence from food and drink for a fixed duration depending on the various teachings.
For Ramadan it is from dawn to dusk, without any intake of solids or liquids during the fasting period. Less known, however, is the abstinence from all types of worldly desires in thoughts and emotions too, not just physically.
If this sounds daunting enough, it is not as tough as the period of breaking fast where one is almost spoilt for choice. Immediately the rigour in restraint is put to the test.
Traditionally, the time to break fast is the extension of fasting itself that is part of exercising restraint although the intake of foods and drinks are allowed. But to what extent?
Hence, the servings are simple – consisting of traditionally home-cooked food and dates, taking leave from the practice of the Prophet of Islam who is said to break his fast modestly with no more than three dates.
But such practices are now supplanted by the mushrooming of vendors that sell delicacies of all sorts – some rarely seen if not for the month of Ramadan. Known as "pasar Ramadan" or Ramadan bazaar – a designated place where vendors gather and sell their produce – it is now a permanent and welcome feature of Ramadan.
It is the thrill of buying your favourite dishes for breaking fast at the end of a tiring working day. At times it is also a place to meet long-lost friends and renew acquaintances in line with the spirit of Ramadan.
In a way it also assists small-time entrepreneurs in raising funds to supplement their expenses for the festivities that follow when Ramadan is over.
These are some of the reasons why the yearly Ramadan bazaar is well-patronised despite being "commoditised" to some extent. Perhaps because it is very much open to everyone, including non-Muslims too, that the Ramadan bazaar concept is deemed as accepted universally.
Over the years, however, the Ramadan bazaar idea has morphed into different forms of businesses that are now fast becoming mainstream.
It is not just about buying food to be consumed at home during the breaking of fast, but it is about the family, or groups, going to hotels and restaurants to have their meals served – just like an outing for the family.
Again there is nothing wrong with this as it could also be a form of convenience for people who are really busy to even go to the Ramadan bazaar, which is often crowded, and where parking can be a nightmare.
Such excuses, however, are not sufficient to mitigate some of the major observations when it comes to breaking fast, in hotels especially.
To start off, prices charged are considered out-of-range for many people. Meaning to say it caters only to some quarters who can afford to patronise these outlets.
This is rather obvious in the kind of advertisements that various outlets ply out to attract customers. This in a sense has "distorted" the spirit of Ramadan somewhat when the focus should have been on the poor and destitute who are unable to feed themselves after the fast. They are the ones who must be catered to as a matter of duty and priority.
The hotels and restaurants seem to have missed this very pertinent point in marketing their outlets.
Except for those who operate meal-on-wheel kind of services, posh outlets are still very much behind in this regard, and they should know better.
Related closely to this is the observance on wastage that invariably go hand in hand with the lavishness served at hotels and restaurants.
This is a double jeopardy in that not only the poor are not given priority, the "good" food that could have been spared for them is just thrown away. It adds insult to injury in realising the spirit of Ramadan. Even if it is not Ramadan, such practices are not justifiable in anyway more so in an economic situation that is hitting hard, especially the people on the street.
In this regard, we should be like France, which is the first country in the world to ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food, forcing them instead to donate it to charities and food banks.
In this way charities will be able to give out more free meals each year to people who are struggling to eat. If it can work in supermarkets in France, more than likely it could work in Malaysia, in hotels and restaurants too.
In the real spirit of restraint and being prudent let's make a difference starting this coming Ramadan.
With some four decades of experience in education locally and internationally, the writer believes that "another world is possible".