1. Missing Food Big Time (.. big… Big Mac)

On Twitter, a hungry tweeter pleaded: “Can you please not use hashtags (#) during Ramadan? It looks like a waffle”. This innocent tweet shows how deeply hunger affects our thinking during the holy month of Ramazan. In fact, many have to have conscious reminders not to take a bite of the kids’ lunch, and suppress constant chai cravings. This is an expedition which can last all the way up to the first Ashra.

Warning: Groggy caffeine-deprived people on the loose!

2. Newsfeed and Ad Overflow

The first struggle comes pre-Ramazan, with an explosion of discount ads ranging from television to social media. With Ufone showing off Faisal Qureshi’s witty dialogues and Hamza Ali Abbasi making glow lights out of Pepsi bottles; it’s a real circus act testing the human decision-making process – and it all seems like a filler for a great opera. The companies prey on mass psychology in making people believe that their product is all they need for a hungry belly. Choices have never been so complex when it comes to choosing food; be it a mega buffet or a soft drink. The ads are so repetitive and cheaply scripted that they make you cringe. And, and, and… the game shows! What did I do to deserve watching people falling over themselves for a washing machine? How I wish people had a 160 character limit when they spoke!

3. Cliche Cholesterol, Maybe? A guilty pleasure for Ramazan!

The amount of eating increases dramatically during this month. Samosas, pakoras, jalaibis and other deep-fried foods are a staple on every iftar table. They have become so embedded in our culture that without them no iftar is considered complete.
The other day, I told someone about my sehri menu, which was Weetabix cereal and yogurt. They judged me and my taste buds, and said “Anday parathay kay baghair bhala koi sehri hoti hai?”
Since then, I’ve been having parathas for sehri *feels double chin*

4. Full appetite, half broke

Them: “All you can eat”
Translation: “All you can spend”
But it is true – after consuming the typical iftari: samosay, pakoray, Rooh Afza, fruit chaat, jalaibi, dahi bhallay, rolls and what not (thank God I’m not writing this during the roza), one begins to think how the same iftar was being made at home. It’s the thrill of Ramazan that becomes a big woe when you start eating out. Ghar ka khana FTW!

5. Pleasing the host (So much for being a foodie)

Born to a desi household, you cannot offend your host because you’ll get a rapid-fire of: “Beta ye tau lia he nai”, “Kitna kam khatay ho”, “Diet pe ho kya?”, “Khati nahi ho, phir bhi moti ho?” Meanwhile, an aunty puts a heap of aaloo channa chaat on your plate. This social obligation to please the ‘maizbaan’ causes unnecessary consumption of food and rampant bad health. So much so that at times we dread the ‘zabardasti ki aftariyaan’. Also, rozaydaars and their ‘ate too much’ post-iftar face is animated even more when they see the weighing scale: “Umm, but that’s my nana’s age!”

Woes and wows make this holy month special and the most memorable throughout the year.It’s a month of sharing, caring, and making sure we don’t run out of basin!

Here are 27 heartwarming pictures of Ramadan from around the world.

27 – The moon of 1st Ramadan as seen over Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan.

26 – A man is preparing special treats for Iftar in Kabul, Afghanistan.

25 – An elderly man reading the Quran at the Grand Mosque during Ramadan in Sanaa, Yemen.

24 – A man praying at the Grand Mosque of Saint-Denis located near Paris.

23 – This woman is arranging strands of vermicelli which is a specialty eaten during the month of Ramadan in India. The picture was taken in a factory in Agartala in India.

22 – Here is a canon firing a ceremonial shot to start iftar. It is a tradition in Italy. The picture is from Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul.

21 – A boy in a mosque in Chennai, India arranging rows of food for Iftar.

20 – Two young Indian Muslim men arranging rows of food for Iftar in Guwahati, India.

19 – Men sitting on top of a bus to break their fast in Karachi, Pakistan.

18 – Muslims in India break their fast on the first day of Holy Month of Ramazan at the Jamia Masjid in the old quarters of New Delhi.

17 – Migrants in Italy offering prayer during the month of Ramadan.

16 – A fishmonger working in a market during the month of Ramadan, in Tunisia.

15 – People preparing food for Iftar at a mosque in Yogyakarta in Indonesia.

14 – Snack being prepared for Iftar in Karachi, Pakistan.

13 – Muslims praying at the Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. This mosque is also known as the Blue Mosque.

12 – Muslims eating their Iftar meal during Ramadan at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi, India.

11 – Muslims in Turkey having their Iftar meal next to the Hagia Sofia Square in Istanbul, Turkey.

10 – People offering prayers in the courtyard of a housing estate in East London, England.

9 – Muslims waiting for Azaan so that they can break their fast. The picture was taken in Muscat which is the capital of Oman.

8 – A man praying in a tent just before breaking fast, at the al-Khazir camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul in Iraq.

7 – People distributing Iftar food before breaking the fast during Ramadan in Lahore, Pakistan.

6 – People praying on a street in Karachi, Pakistan.

5 – People praying at the Pattani Central Mosque in Thailand.

4 – Muslim shop vendors eating their Iftar meal during Ramadan in Kolkata, India.

3 – People eating their Iftar meal at the Blue Mosque Squre in Istanbul, Turkey.

2 – Muslims shoping for decorations for Ramzan in Brooklyn, New York, United States.

1 – People stroll at the Sultanahmet Square after Iftar during the month of Ramadan in Istanbul, Turkey.

How do you celebrate the Holy month of Ramadan? Let us know in the comments section below.