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“It’s not Ramzan without Rooh Afza”

A favourite in the subcontinent since over a century, RoohAfza was founded by Hamdard’s founder Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed. In 1906, he wanted to create a herbal mix that would help Delhi’s people stay cool in the summer. He selected herbs and syrups from traditional Unani medicine and created a drink that would help counter heat strokes and prevent water loss in people. The result was a product that would remain popular across generations. Following the Partition of India in 1947, Hakim Hafiz Majeed’s younger son, Hakeem Muhammad Saeed migrated to Pakistan and started a separate Hamdard Company from two rooms in Karachi.

The drink has continued to remain popular in Pakistan, particularly during summers, with its popularity increasing in the month of Ramazan. Over the years, this drink has become more than a consumption good; it has become an important part of the local culture. While variants of the drink now exist, what makes the drink particularly stand out is its rich history that precedes the formation of Pakistan and the familiarity and comfort that the people of the subcontinent associate it with.