Kashmir's traditional Ramadan drummers wake neighbours up for pre-dawn meals

Arif Ahmad Jinded, 18, a Kashmiri Ramadan drummer locally known as "Sahar Khan", is accompanied by his father Abdul Kareem Jinded and brother Imran Jinded as he beats his drum to wake Muslims up for their meal before daybreak, along a road during the holy fasting month of Ramadan in downtowm Srinagar April 16, 2023. REUTERS/Sanna Irshad Mattoo

SRINAGAR (Reuters) - The valley is covered in darkness as Abdul Kareem Jinded, 71, prepares his drum to break the silence of his neighbourhood in Srinagar, the largest city in Indian Kashmir.

A wood-cutter by day, he wakes up at midnight during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to walk 3-4 miles (5-6 km) through the bylanes of Srinagar's downtown or old quarter, knocking on doors shouting: "Wake up and eat your morning meal before it is late".