The classic drink holds its own along side a bevy of fancy beverages that have swarmed Pakistan's urban markets.
ISLAMABAD: A hundred years after Sherbet-e- Roohafza, the syrup of the East, was launched in India, a glass of the refreshing red drink is still the first choice for millions of Pakistanis at iftar spreads during the holy month of Ramzan.
While the iced and the milk versions are favourites at Ramzan dastarkhwaans across the country, Generation X loves to have it with a dash of ice cream, coke and even tea!
The classic drink holds its own along side a bevy of fancy beverages that have swarmed Pakistan's urban markets.
Like the ubiquitous dates, 'pakoras', 'chaats' and 'dahi bhallas' that comprise the iftar meal, it is impossible to wish away the rose syrup during the month of fasting.
The plush Hotel Marriott, a haunt for the high-heeled for iftars, serves Roohafza with milk for the faithful.
"One glass gives instant energy. I cannot think of any drink that can quench my thirst like Roohafza," said a guest at the hotel.
Yasmin, a domestic help from Swat, told, "Every one has Roohafza for iftar. In my village we either have it with milk or with chilled water. My children love to mix it with Pepsi!"
A dash of Roohafza on 'falooda' or 'feerni' is what 55-year-old Rafique, a gardener, likes best through the year. But the chilled glass is what he looks forward to during Ramzan.
"Even as little children, we had Roohafza for iftar. The drink gives energy and quenches my thirst like no other."
Twelve-year-old Mehreen mixes her Roohafza with coke. "I add two tablespoons of Roohafza in a can of coke and then add ice. Sometimes I also add soda," beamed the sixth grader.
Her friends mix lime juice and also have Roohafza with iced tea. "Some of my friends who find the sherbet very sweet add lime to make it tangy," she added.
That sales go northwards during the holy month is no surprise. "We stock up on Roohafza ahead of Ramzan because the demand goes up," said a shop owner in the upmarket Jinnah Super Market.
The "Mashroob-e-Mashriq" or syrup of the East -as Roohafza was originally known -- was launched by Hakeem Abdul Majeed, the founder of the Hamdard Laboratories, in Delhi in 1907.
In 1947, Majeed's younger son Hakim Mohammed Said migrated to Pakistan and established Hamdard Laboratories in Karachi a year later.
Majeed's elder son Hakeem Abdul Hameed stayed on in Delhi to run Hamdard Laboratories India. Although the genesis of the word Roohafza is not clear, it has several flowery descriptions.
Some claim the word means the invigorator of the soul, while others have called it "Rahat-e-Jahan" -- happiness for the body.
There are others who claim Roohafza means "that which tempts your soul" because "rooh" means soul and "afza" means tempts.
Hamdard India's website is not quite sure how its founder decided to name the drink Roohafza. According to the website, "Some think that this name is the product of his (the founder's) mind. Others express the view that it came from some book of ancient myths. Of such books, one is very famous -- the 'Masnavi Gulzar-e-Nasim' which was first published around 1254 Hijri.
"In this book, the name of a character is 'Rooh Afza' who, according to the writer, was the daughter of Muzaffar Shah, the King of Firdaus (Heaven)."
The site also quotes poet Sail Dehalvi as saying, "If you look at its colour, it enchants your heart. If you taste it, you find its flavour enlivening. In fragrance it excels other flowers. In efficacy it is quite an elixir. It's refreshing and invigorating effect is beyond reckoning. A sharbet like Roohafza has never been produced, nor ever shall be."
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