The holy month of Ramazan, on the Islamic calendar, is just days ahead and Muslims are looking forward to the ‘dear’ month – ‘dear’ on account of its religious/spiritual significance and ‘dear’ also because the prices of daily life items, especially eatables, are hiking in most parts of the country.

Ramazan is known as the month of fasting for Muslims, who refrain from eating and drinking any kind of food and fluids (including water), from dawn till dusk in order to achieve spiritual blessings and the glorious abstract qualities of tolerance, empathy, and discipline. In practice, however, many people miss the boat on the true spirit of Ramazan. They indulge in overeating, irritable and anxious behavior, lack of tolerance, and even dishonesty. An example of the latter is often seen in the undue rise of prices shortly before and during Ramazan.

Currently, news sources are teeming with reports of unfair increase in prices of important commodities like sugar, vegetables, and other culinary items. The situation is so formidable in some cities that shopkeepers have started selling sugar at more than twice its original price. The government has had to order the sale of sugar at a fixed price at the Utility Stores and now we hear that ‘fair price shops’ are being opened in the federal capital and its neighboring rural areas.

Ramazan is also dear in another sense of the word, i.e. its end is marked by a 3-day festival – Eid-ul-Fitar –an occasion to spend generously on food, clothing, and merrymaking. Arriving in summer this time, Ramazan is also likely to be tough for laborers and other people who do physical toil out in the sun for a living. Nevertheless, the spiritual blessings are the dearest feature of the month and dear Ramazan is always welcome.