'Roza kyun nahi rakha?'
I reach for my water bottle, and then instinctively put it back.
After hearing about the incident in Ghotki, reason dictates I should stop somewhere else. Somewhere I do not fear the possibility of assault for drinking water in front of the rozeydaar.
It is, after all, that time of the year when work schedules shorten and markets shut down earlier; when morning shows increase air time, and evening shows are a strange union of religion-meets-entertainment-meets-consumerism.
Also read: Thou shalt not eat because I fast
On the streets, piety is cloaked in toned-down conversations, less than energetic demeanour, and of course, the standard shut-down of eateries and shops.
Ramazan comes down on non-fasters also as an obligation, for it is the month where we have to be extra cautious about how and where we consume basic necessities like water, lest we face judgemental looks and questioning stares.
In school and college days, the canteen would either be closed, or open without much in stock. I managed my younger days by bringing a snack from home, but university was different. There was no time to prepare food at home, and the Ramazan schedule only allowed a 15 minute break after the first three hours of morning classes.