While the king of stuffed pastry got banned in Somalia for its triangular shape which according to certain quarters is ‘too closely associated with the Christian trinity’, Bangalore along with many other parts of the world has made it as a favourite pastime eatable, more so a customary during the holy month of Ramzan.
Over 20 lakh samosas were sold in the city on everyday basis during last Ramzan and in Shivaji Nagar alone nearly 5 lakh samosas were sold everyday, thus making it a whopping business running into crores for this season.
There were times when Muslims use to take Dates as the food supplement to break their fast during the month of Ramzan, but from past 10 years the trend started swinging the samosa way. At the Savera tea shop in Shivaji Nagar’s Broadway Road, and the Mecca tea joint on Richmond Road, samosas sell like hot cakes along with the Sulaimani Chai (lemon tea).
The cosmopolitan city, which is known for its mixed culture, adds to the demand especially during Ramzan. Businessmen, who mostly put up temporary stalls during the period as a part-time profession for a month. “I am into interior design business, but I still set up a temporary stall during the month of Ramzan. My workers prepare around 3,000 samosas which is sold at 5 PM and within an hour it is sold out”, said Shaffi Mohammed.
A small time realty consultant from Jayanagar, Nanda Kumar rents tarpaulin tents to set up shops and sells Ganesha Idols during this season but the samosa mania hits his entrepreneurial instinct. He says, “I have asked my friends to set up more shops on temporary basis during Ramzan, since we can generate profit, I have asked them to lend support on a profit basis.”
“We have over 35 mosques in Shivaji Nagar and in all the mosque people are allowed to sell samosas during Ramzan”, said Aslam Qureshi, a social worker.
One among the oldest shop to sell samosas from three to four decades, Munawar Ahmed, Owner Savera hotel and tea shop says, “We see people coming from all walks of life to eat samosas and have tea. We are open during night as well. I see samosas bridging the gap between different communities, and around 2 lakh plus samosas are sold during Ramazan.”
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