KARACHI: Don’t ponder too much over the screens and drapes, the aroma of delicious snacks should be enough an explanation about what’s cooking inside. The clusters of people camping near these hidden places should also tell you something.

Yes, of course, they are eateries and it being Ramazan, hence the purdah. Islam exempts travellers from fasting, so railway stations are some of the places where fresh snacks and refreshments are available despite it being the holy month of fasting. “It’s not just here, you’ll also find restaurants, snack bars and cafeterias at airports and hospitals open during this time of the year without facing any kind of criticism,” says Habibullah Khan at the Food Court at Cantonment Railway Station.

“Children, elderly people and those who are unwell don’t fast anyway and they too come here often in case they feel like having a burger, club sandwich, kebab roll, samosa or biryani, though kulfi, ice cream and beverages such as lassi, milkshakes, tea and cold drinks sell more,” he adds. “Some people also ask us to pack or parcel food for them to take with them on the train but there they also have the option of the dining car.”

And how to tell if the ones buying food from them are really travellers or just not fasting? Fakir Mohammad, frying vegetable rolls inside another little shack, laughs at this. “True, there is no way of telling. And I’m sure we must be getting several of those too but we are also not the moral police. Our doors are open for everyone. Let the people themselves be the judge of their morals. But this much I will tell you that we do see a lot of the railway’s own staff and the porters coming here too,” he says. “The biggest challenge for us is fasting ourselves while surrounded by all this food.”

A little stroll down platform number one reveals more such eating joints hidden but some also openly doing business without any screens or drapes. “What to do? It’s still the beginning of Ramazan and it seems like our contractor wasn’t very alert to our needing new drapes. Well, respecting others, ehtaram, is also to be observed as the majority is fasting. It took a sharp pebble or two hitting us for the contractor to order new screens and drapes from Saddar,” says Mohammad Abbas selling mineral water cold drinks there.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2015

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