DHAKA — Every night during Ramadan, Mohammad Yasin Islam Babu roams the alleyways of Madartek, in eastern Dhaka, a few hours before dawn to wake people up for their last meal before another day of fasting.
"Oh believers, rise up and eat your seheri [suhur] to start the fasting. Rise up to pray," chants Mohammad, 17, with a chorus of 8-10 young boys.
They also join voices in singing traditional religious songs, known as kashida.
Mohammad first organized his group three years ago and since then, they have become the Ramadan night-singers of their neighborhood.
Across Dhaka, hundreds of young Bangladeshis are engaged in the same old tradition of waking people up and take the pre-dawn suhur meal.
"We sing kashida songs that emphasize the importance of fasting and prayers," says Monjur Alam, another kashida singer in Dhaka.
During Ramadan, which is dedicated to spiritual growth, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain during daylight hours from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.
"Waking Muslims from sleeping to pray and have seheri is a divine duty," believes 60-year-old Alam, who has been a kashida singer for over 40 years.
The tradition began more than 150 years ago, when an Urdu-speaking young Muslim started the service in his neighborhood.
Later on, a young Bengali-speaking Muslim joined the initiative with Bengali songs.
Today, the Ramadan kashida are written by noted Muslim poets in Bangladesh, the world's third largest Muslim majority country.
Challenges
Struggling with changing times, the iconic feature of Bangladesh Ramadan is in danger of vanishing.
However, the iconic feature of Bangladesh Ramadan is in danger of vanishing.
"Over the past 15 years, young Muslims have been doing this service in every area of Dhaka," notes Alam, the kashida singer.
"Now the trend is dying out."
The tradition is struggling with changing times.
Alam recalls how the first half of the twentieth century was the golden time of kashida for seheri.
During that time, there was no microphones used in mosques, so Kashida singers where essential to wake Muslims up from their sleep during Ramadan nights to eat and pray.
Now, the service faces fierce competition from the fast technological advances in the Southeast Asian country, just like any where else in the world.
Many maintain that the tradition should be saved from extinction.
"Kashida for seheri is a service-oriented folklore," says A.H. M. Nurul Huda, a retired government official.
He believes that the tradition needs patronization from the government, Kashida poets and culture activists to adapt with modern times.
Hasan Alim, a noted Dhaka poet, agrees.
He also suggests that Muslim groups and mosques could help out by encouraging young Muslims to take part in the tradition.
"Kashida for seheri has been a cherished tradition for so long. It must be maintained as an Islamic and cultural heritage of Bangladesh."
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