New Delhi: A long, white cloth is gracefully laid out over green grass with fruits, pakoras, juices, chips, and cold drinks. It’s time for iftar, and Delhi’s Sunder Nursery is abuzz with scores of family groups and friends. The sun sets on the monuments in the backdrop as children’s laughter and chatter fill the air.
Delhi’s gardens are the new favourite spot for iftar parties in the month of Ramadan—a departure from the traditional iftar at crowded Jama Masjid and Jamia Nagar. Mosques, dargahs, and private iftar parties are increasingly being replaced, and the open spaces at Lodhi Gardens and Sunder Nursery are winning.
Mohammad Ubed’s 32-member family from East Delhi arrives in Sunder Nursery with food baskets, plastic bags, and water bottles.
“A park is a place that suits everyone, from children to the eldest family member, whether man or woman. That’s why, this year, we’ve chosen the Sunder Nursery for our iftar gathering,” said Ubed.
A solemn, religious ritual is now slowly morphing into a joyous picnic in these garden iftars. Of course, it also makes for better Instagram Reels.
Ubed’s family previously preferred Jama Masjid for iftar. For them, this change in location provides not only more space but also a refreshing, peaceful iftar experience.
Those who come to Sunder Nursery aren’t just residents of Nizamuddin neighbourhoods. Families from as far as Shahdara, Malviya Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, and Paschim Vihar are arriving here.
Sunder Nursery, spread over approximately 90 acres, is one of Delhi’s favourite picnic spots, with an entry ticket costing Rs 50. Visitors are also allowed to bring their own food.
The Numberdar sisters, a group of women who have been coming to Sunder Nursery for iftar on one day each Ramadan for the past two years, make a fun outing of it. They get ready, bring their favourite dishes, take photos of each other, and enjoy quality time as an all-girls group.
“Through the entire month, we stay home and observe our fasts and iftars, but one day, all of us cousins go out for iftar and make it like an outing,” said 31-year-old Alina Numberdar, who came to Sunder Nursery with six of her cousins and a sister-in-law.
“We chose this place again this year for iftar because of its beauty, greenery, and peace,” Numberdar added, pointing toward the lake they sat beside, giggling with each other.
Park iftar
About 4 kilometers away from Sunder Nursery, at Lodhi Gardens, a group of friends was cutting watermelons, arranging disposable plates, and mixing Rooh Afza in water. The group, consisting of 15 to 20 students from Dyal Singh College, chose the garden this year for their iftar gathering to avoid the hustle and bustle of the city.
“We are in our final year and wanted to make this iftar different from previous years. That’s why we chose this beautiful place,” said Nasar. Choosing a park for iftar gives them more time and space to talk, play, and even wander around.
Abu Zahir Rabbani, an Urdu professor at Dyal Singh College, spoke about the growing trend of people choosing parks for iftar gatherings. “Mosques and dargahs are places of worship. However, when gatherings like these take place in parks, they not only serve as a space for worship but also transform into a sort of entertainment venue,” he said.
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It’s about the Reels
The main reason for choosing places like Sunder Nursery, Lodhi Gardens, India Gate, and other parks for iftar gatherings is the increasing crowd at Jama Masjid—the largest and most popular spot for iftar in Delhi.
Mohammad Ubed, who convinced his family to have iftar at Sunder Nursery, wanted to visit this place for quite some time after seeing numerous picnics and iftar Reels on Instagram. “Social media is making these places more famous and attractive,” he said.
A 17-second Instagram Reel features the caption, “Iftar at Bagh-e-Azeem [Sunder Nursery].” Another post, a 55-second Reel of a family’s iftar party has the song Tajdar-e-Haram playing in the background.
Yet another Reel, featuring a group of boys, was posted with the caption, “Iftar gathering at Sunder Nursery | Peace, Blessings & Brotherhood.” The video begins with a shot of the Sundar Nursery sign, followed by the boys spreading some bedsheets on the grass and arranging food items. They pray and enjoy their iftar, chatting and laughing while recording the entire gathering.
These Reels aren’t altogether a new development. A Reel of a Ramadan gathering at Sunder Nursery from last year begins with the theme, ‘Sunder Nursery’s Iftar party: A feast under the stars’. The video begins with two small boards that read ‘Ramadan Kareem’ and ‘Welcome to Iftar Party’. The group shares the food and performs their Maghrib namaz after the iftar.
“Next time, we will have bigger and more gatherings here,” said Ubed.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
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