Ramazan Essentials

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chillies, chutneys, garlic, ginger, ginger and garlic paste, green chillies, lemon, lemons, Ramazan, Ramazan essentials

With Ramazan around the corner, this is the time to stock up with a plentiful supply of Ramazan essentials before the price hikes start.

No iftari is ever quite complete without chutneys, lemon wedges and green chillies, while curries do not have the necessary zing unless ginger and garlic are added to them. Vendors have the public over a barrel when it comes to maintaining steady supplies of these essentials throughout Ramazan and charge exorbitant prices regardless of their quality. Therefore, buying these ingredients beforehand makes sense.

Making a ginger-garlic paste with a food processor is easy as it stores well in glass jars in the fridge, or it can be put into plastic bags and frozen for up to six months. You can also wrap fresh ginger root in a damp cloth and refrigerate; this will keep it fresh for almost six weeks (matchstick-sized slivers of ginger freeze well). Healthy garlic bulbs on the other hand, need a cool, dry and airy storage area; otherwise, they will go bad in a few days.

Increasing Productivity During Ramazan

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avoid multitasking, employee productivity, employee productivity during Ramazan, flexible timings, plan, Prioritise, Ramazan, ways of being productive at work during Ramazan, Working from home, Zeeshan Lakhpaty

According to a survey published by the BBC, as well as a study conducted by the Cairo Institute of Social Sciences, employee productivity during Ramazan decreases by 50%, thereby affecting organisational performance negatively. So no wonder that one of the biggest challenges for organisations during Ramazan is to maintain employee productivity despite reduced working hours and low energy levels.

Yet, Ramazan can be a productive month if the following steps are adhered to by HR managers and employees:

1. Flexible timings. Organisations should allow employees to select their own timings, based on when they are at their most productive. This can either mean coming to work earlier, soon after sehri, or much later. This will ensure that the quality of work does not suffer.

2. Work from home. Employees can be given the option to work from home at least once or twice a week. However, this should be managed in a way that all key employees from the same department are not away from the office on the same day. Another option worth considering is allowing employees to leave the office early, and work from home for the remaining hours.

3. Say no to multitasking. Employees often multitask during Ramazan due to shorter working hours. However, this can result in wasting energy and time. It is recommended that each assignment is completed before moving on to the next one.

4. Plan and prioritise. Plan and prioritise your daily work list according to how much focus and energy are required to complete each task. For example, tasks which require more energy and attention should be completed earlier in the morning (or when you are at your most productive), while tasks which require less focus should be left for later. Furthermore, meetings should be kept as short as possible as this will save a lot of time in the long-run.

– Zeeshan Lakhpaty
The writer is a professional corporate trainer and international speaker. zeeshan@peopleexcellence.biz

               

Eid Reflections

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acknowledging the contributions, colleagues, counterproductive, deeper connections, discipline, efficient, Eid holidays, Fauzia Kerai Khan, focus, Generosity, goodwill, job performance, key driver, meetings short, nice-to-have, office hours, passive worker, positive work experiences, prioritising, productive team, Productivity, Ramazan, Reflection, self-motivated, self-reflection, sharing information, The Harvard Business Review, work life, work rhythm

In case you are in the midst of figuring out what to do over the Eid holidays, this is the perfect time to think about how you can incorporate the habits that characterise Ramazan (focus, generosity and reflection) into your work life after the month is over, and thereby improve the quality of your work, productivity and overall outlook.

Focus and discipline. Reduced office hours make people more focused and disciplined and therefore more efficient; they adapt themselves to a new work rhythm by prioritising important projects and keeping meetings short and to the point due to paucity of time. In short, they manage their time better. Therefore, if you are able to sustain the same level of focus after Ramazan is over, you will end up being far more productive.

Living The High Life

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a home store, banks, Bazaar’s Refreshment Centre, Broadway Pizza, carpets, chanaa chaat, Chicken Hut, commercial purposes, coveted neighbourhoods, curtains, Desi delights, diplomats, easily accessible, educational institutions, Eid, expatriates, Foodie hotspot, grocery stores, handbags, handicrafts, healthcare facilities, high-end clothing boutiques, KFC, light fixtures, mosques, Murree Road, pani puri, parks, Pizza Hut, property, Ramazan, Rawalpindi, recreational spot, residential areas, Saidpur road, salons, Satellite Town, serene neighbourhood, shoes, suburban neighbourhood, Tehzeeb Bakers, The Children’s Playland, The Satellite Town Bazaar, Tutti Frutti

A house in Satellite Town

A suburban neighbourhood of Rawalpindi, Satellite Town is one of the city’s oldest residential areas, easily accessible via Saidpur and Murree Roads.

A serene neighbourhood… Home to affluent diplomats and expatriates, Satellite Town is one of Rawalpindi’s most coveted neighbourhoods, with wide, tree-lined roads and large houses with perfectly manicured lawns. A significant number of these houses, especially those located along main thoroughfares, are increasingly being used for commercial purposes. Residents have access to amenities such as banks, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, mosques, parks and salons.

The Super Cider

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Nutritionists in Pakistan are recommending that people add apple cider vinegar to their diets in Ramazan, as recent research studies indicate that apple cider concoctions (see Nutrition Table) provide a host of health benefits.

These include:

Prevents cramps. Rich in enzymes and amino acids, apple cider vinegar prevents the buildup of lactic acid in the body, which cause muscle fatigue and cramps.

Reduces blood pressure. Apple cider vinegar contains potassium, which, due to its blood-thinning properties, regulates blood pressure and is also believed to prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases.

Lahore’s Magnificent Mosque

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The prayer area in the Wazir Khan Mosque

The magnificent Wazir Khan Mosque is one of Lahore’s most iconic landmarks. It can be reached by traversing along the Shahi Guzargah (Royal Trail), through the Delhi Gate. During Ramazan, the Mosque is frequented by even more people from across the city, especially for taraweeh prayers.

Mughal architecture… Wazir Khan Mosque is named after Sheikh Ilm-ud-din Ansari – a wazir at Emperor Shah Jehan’s court, who conceived, designed and oversaw the mosque’s construction, which began in 1634. The Mosque boasts of an impressive dome and octagonal minarets; its walls are embellished with eye-catching calligraphy. Several areas of the mosque are currently being restored, but this does not pose any hindrance to worshippers.

Ramazan Resolutions

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Given that Pakistanis are known for their healthy appetites and mouth-watering and extremely fattening culinary delights, I was not surprised that Pakistan was cited as the ninth most obese country in the world, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study, published earlier this year in The Lancet medical journal.

A few of my ‘slightly overweight’ (read: obese) patients have made it a habit to ask for dieting advice prior to Ramazan. As one of my patients Samina, an overweight foodie who has been on a diet for five years, puts it, “It helps me detoxify both spiritually and physically, and lose some weight as well. So you see it’s a double whammy!”

Ramazan Shopping At Khajoor Bazaar

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Khajoor Bazaar offers a variety of dates

Located in Saddar and accessible via Napier and MA Jinnah Roads, the bustling Khajoor Bazaar offers home accessories and foodie options – in addition to its specialty – juicy, mouth-watering khajoors for weddings, parties, and of course Ramazan and Eid.

The Jaffer Fuddoo Tower – an iconic landmark

A world of dates… Visitors have to navigate narrow, winding lanes, packed with makeshift stalls set up on pavements in front of shops to find what they are looking for. As its name suggests, Khajoor Bazaar’s main attraction is its dates, and is reputed to be Pakistan’s largest wholesale date market. Dates on offer include Aseel, Begam Jangi and Dhakki, from Balochistan, Dera Ismail Khan and Sindh respectively; imported varieties from Iran, Iraq and Syria are also available. Ajwa dates – high-end, premium quality dates from Mecca and Medina – are available these days, since Ramazan is around the corner, and people are willing to splurge on them.

Road Safety In Ramazan!

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accidents, biscuits, Brake fluid, brakes, coolant, dates, drive safe, fast, iftar, iftar party, sehri, metropolitan traffic, oil, Pakistan, peace, Ramazan, road rage, serenity, taraweeh, Tariq Ziad Khan, water

Ramazan may be the season for peace and serenity but anyone who drives in Pakistan knows otherwise. However, with metropolitan traffic increasing exponentially and motorists’ tempers flaring routinely, it is all the more important to drive safe this Ramazan.

Here is how:

Drive loaded. Most accidents happen when people are rushing home come iftar time. If you happen to be on the roads, keep something to break your fast in the car, such as dates, biscuits and a small bottle of water to ensure that hitting the gas pedal is not the only way to get something to eat.

Don’t drive and eat. Research indicates that eating and driving is one multi-task that can increase chances of accidents by 80%. If you must break your fast on the road, stop your car before doing so.

Get a pre-Ramazan maintenance check. Just prior to Ramazan, get your car’s fundamentals such as oil, brakes and brake fluid, coolant and other major components checked. This will ensure a hassle-free month.

Time yourself. Avoid last minute rushes to get to that must attend iftar party, or the first rakat of taraweeh. In short, no matter where you need to be during the month, remember that metropolitan Pakistan is now one huge traffic clog and being on time means planning ahead to ensure you reach your destination on time.

Ramazan Bazaars

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During Ramazan, a slew of temporary bazaars crop up across Pakistan. Most of these temporary bazaars are established in vacant plots, parking lots and sports grounds, and are usually located in commercial hubs that are accessible via major thoroughfares.

A permission license and an NOC are required from the local authorities (such as KMC, LMC, DHA, Cantonment Board etc) before setting up these bazaars. The areas where most of them are set up include Bahadurabad, Clifton, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, Saddar and Tariq Road (Karachi); DHA, Gulberg and Liberty (Lahore); and F-7 and F-10 Markaz (Islamabad).