The Gourmet Iftar Feast @ The Consulate General of India, Houston

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Deputy Consul General Surendra Adhana (left) with Latafath Hussain at Iftar dinner hosted by the Consulate General of India, Houston, on Monday, June 12.

By Vanshika Vipin Varma

HOUSTON: Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often held in participation of a community, with people gathering together to break their fast. During the month of Ramadan, iftar gatherings picks up in the evening at several places across town. After the success of last year’s iftar dinner at the Consul General of India, Dr. Anupam Ray’s residence, an iftar dinner was hosted for the second year in a row this past Monday, on June 12, by the Consulate General of India, Houston.

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Last year’s attractive food spread was an iftar dinner to treasure. This year, the venue was moved to Consulate office located at 4300 Scotland Street. Around 120 people, including various dignitaries were invited for this grand event. The lovely evening set in and everyone was greeted by Deputy Consul General Surendra Adhana and his wife Rajeshri Adhana. They played the perfect hosts along with their entire team at the Consulate. Dr. Anupam Ray was absent due to an emergency work at Washington DC. The much-anticipated event started at 7 pm. People greeted each other and mingled around as the time for iftar (8.22 pm) was advancing. Deputy Consul General Surendra Adhana delivered the keynote speech. He welcomed everyone and spoke highly about the importance of Muslim community in India. He also read a few lines from the speech delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Ramadan. Latafath Hussain, the founder and former president of Indian Muslims Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH), was then invited over to speak and he welcomed and thanked everyone for attending.

 

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A special place upstairs was allocated for the namaz. The dignitaries in attendance included the City of Houston Council Member David Robinson, Consul General of Turkey Ferhat Alkan, Consul General of UAE Saeed Almheiri, Former Mayor Anise Parker, Ellen Goldberg, Murad Ajani, Malik Jamal, Nasruddin Rupani, Vijay Pallod, Hasu Patel, Col. Raj Bhalla, Dr. Maqbool Haq, Musa Dakri, Sam Merchant, and Faisal Momin apart from various other community leaders. Yasmeen Arya and Ravikanth Srigadde from the Consulate worked hard to organize the event, and ensured they leave no stone unturned to delight the guests. The chefs had curated something special for everyone. Scrumptious iftar spread was served, relished and it surely helped calm taste buds.

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Prophet Muhammad is believed to have encouraged his followers to arrange iftar meals in whatever capacity possible. Thousands of Muslims have been organizing mass iftar programs worldwide since then. For many, iftar is not only about food. It is the experience, the feeling of iftar that makes busy members of a family get together for a meal. The iftar dinner at the Consulate General of India, Houston was indeed a meal that brought together various people to enjoy the blessings of the Holy month and to thank the Al Mighty for His countless bounties.