Srinagar, March 12 Before dawn breaks, when darkness blankets the valley, hundreds of men appear on the streets of Srinagar, carrying drums. They move from one neighborhood to another, beating their drums to wake the sleeping people for their "Sehri" – the essential pre-dawn meal during the holy month of Ramadan.
These men have come from remote corners of the valley, taking on the role of "Seharkhwaan," or drum beater. They are responsible for waking people before sunrise, with the intention that no one will be late for their Sehri.
Mohammad Rafiq Kataria has come to Srinagar from the remote mountain village of Kalaroos in north Kashmir's Kupwara. A Seharkhwaan for three decades, he wakes up when the valley is still asleep and sets out on the streets at 3 am, wielding his drum.
Kataria, and many like him, go around beating drums from neighborhood to neighborhood hours before sunrise during Ramadan, a tradition that has lasted for centuries.
While the advent of technology may have made drum beaters obsolete, the people of the valley still support this tradition, making generous donations to the Seharkhwaan at the end of the holy month.
"We eagerly await Ramadan because we earn well. Whatever people donate at the end of the holy month provides for our families for the entire year," says Kataria.
Mohammad Iqbal Khatana, 25 years old, took on the role after his father had to stop beating his drum due to health problems. "I have seen my father do this since I was born. This year he couldn't, as he is unwell. So, I took his place," says Khatana.
The young man says that the generous donations from people have sustained their family, while his father has been waking people up with his drum beats in the hope of being rewarded by God in the afterlife.
When asked if modern gadgets like mobile phones and alarm clocks have diminished the significance of a Seharkhwaan, the drum beaters say that they have not felt this so far.
"Our need in society is reflected in the response of people when we go around collecting donations at the end of the holy month. They have been generous so far, even during difficult times, such as the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021," says Kataria.
The Seharkhwaan tradition is common in many parts of the Islamic world, especially Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.
