Ramadan memories
The doorbell rang. It was 6pm on the fifth day of Ramadan. I opened the door to my neighbour s granddaughter, Iffa, standing outside with a smile and carrying a plate full of delicacies. Iffa, hello! What s the occasion? I asked with surprise. We wanted you to try our Iftar sweets, she responded happily. The gesture wasn t expected, but as neighbours on a small residential lane in Mangalore, India, it s the norm. To give you a fair view of the setup, we are a Christian family living amicably between a Hindu and Muslim household. We share similar gestures during our respective festivals, such as Iffa s family did on this occasion. We even share fruits and vegetables grown in our backyards with each other. The delicacies that Iffa shared with us brought back memories of Ramadan in the UAE – my home for 40 years. I have a deep appreciation for the UAE and its multi-cultural embrace-and-adopt-all-that s-good attitude, and the simplicity and generosity of the rul