INDIA SUMMARIZED

Growing up in a deeply religious family, I never once heard the word Ramadan used to refer to the holy Islamic month of fasting and penance.  These were God-fearing people well versed in the ways of Islam and the Quran. But for them it was always Ramzan, or Romjan among many of the Bengali and Assamese-speaking members of our family. (Both languages don’t have a letter that approximates the sound of the English ‘z’.) In travels to different parts of India, till a few years ago, I found very few people who referred to the month of fasting as Ramadan. Which is why I find this sudden shift from the very familiar Ramzan to Ramadan all the more perplexing. Thus, it was heartening to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi referring to the month as Ramzan. And I’m aware of all the folks who talk of the Arabic spelling of Ramzan, with the ‘d’ sound, but may I humbly submit that we don’t live in an Arab-speaking country. And if you’re really keen on switching over to Arabic...