When Thattamkandy Ali ventures into the darkness,he knows like daylight that the digital age has rung in the death knell for his mission. Sixty seven-year-old Ali is a Musaharathi,one who strikes his drum to wake up Muslims during Ramzan for their last meal (suhoor) before the beginning of the fast. The changing lifestyle has made Musaharathis a vanishing tribe. Ali,a Musaharathi in the coastal town of Vatakara,goes around beating his drum to 200-odd Muslim families. I am the fifth-generation Musaharathi in my family. After my fathers death,I took up the job seven years ago, says Ali,who is otherwise a casual labourer doing odd jobs. He beats the drum in the towns Juma Masjid area. Since the area is dominated by traditional Muslim families,everybody knows what my drum beat means. The journey through the narrow alleys starts at 1 a.m. and ends at 3.30 a.m. By then,I would have covered around 200 houses, says Ali. Qazi Syed Muthukoya Thangal says that now,very rarely can one spot a Musaharathi in Kerala. When people didnt have alarm clocks or mobile phones with an alarm feature,Musaharathis services were essential during Ramzan. The drum beat was meant to awaken Muslims families to have or prepare their pre-fast meal, he says. Ali says Musaharathis would be paid reasonably well by Muslim families as Ramzan is a period for charity. At the end of Ramzan,Ali collects money from families for his services.
