Rooh Afza: A herbal drink that survived a partition, war, lawsuit and many haters

Back in late March, a Twitter user named Vani posted an image of a bottle of Rooh Afza and wrote, "There's something wrong with you if you like this drink." 

Her tweet sparked a debate over Rooh Afza, garnering thousands of reactions and retweets. While some agreed with Vani, others opposed the statement vehemently. Loved or loathed, Rooh Afza has a special place in the memory of many Bangladeshis, having made a 100-year journey to become a must-have item for iftar.

The red bottle of Rooh Afza comes as the harbinger of Ramadan. As the holy month approaches, this popular syrup hits the shelves of grocery stores, pharmacies, and supershops, particularly in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. 

Amirul Momening Manik, director of Information and Public Relations at Hamdard Bangladesh, describes it as: "Rooh Afza is not just a drink, it's an emotion."

During Ramadan, Rooh Afza is widely consumed, as many believe it provides energy and helps people stay hydrated during the day-long fast. The drink is also a popular choice during hot summer months and is enjoyed in various forms, including Sharbat-e-Mohabbat, ice cream, and faluda.

However, despite its popularity, the market for Rooh Afza has slightly shrunk in recent times. 

"The declining sales can be attributed to several reasons," said Manik. "Firstly, the price of sugar has increased, which has led to a rise in Rooh Afza's price. Secondly, Rooh Afza is not an instant drink, and no small sachet is available, which affects its consumption rate. Finally, people's lifestyles have changed, and they tend to have Iftar outside more than at home, which has also affected sales."

So what does Rooh Afza contain?

A lawsuit filed against Hamdard Laboratories Bangladesh on 30 May 2018, for publishing false information and misleading advertisements about the ingredients used, sheds some light on the ingredient list.

The label on the bottle indicates that per 100g of the syrup contains 67.5% sugar and 32.5% of other ingredients, including the essence of 8 types of fruits and 8 types of herbs and flowers. 

In a live lab test, Sabbir Ahmed, a Sweden based Bangladeshi researcher, found that the Pakistani version of Rooh Afza contained 76% sugar. Manik acknowledged that the 2018 advertisement claiming juices from 35 fruits was a mistake. However, he added, "What is on the label is absolutely true. Pakistani Rooh Afza might have 76% sugar, but our ingredients are not the same."

While breaking fasting, a glass of Rooh Afza sharbat may not be harmful to health, say experts. 

"As Rooh afza is not directly consumed and you don't take sugar all day during Ramadan, I think Rooh Afza sharbat may not cause any health issues. But if anyone takes it frequently on a  regular basis, that's a concern," said Professor Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury, head of the Department of Epidemiology and Research at the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute.

Love, hate and pseudo-religious significance

For those who grew up with Rooh Afza, it is a part of their childhood. A prominent Bangladeshi journalist, Shafiqul Alam, while reminiscing his memories of iftar with his family, shared "[My father] would break the fast with a glass of Rooh Afza sharbat." 

With its distinctive rose flavour and vibrant red hue, it is an absolute essential to break the fast in the holy month of Ramadan. Abid Bhuiyan, a graphic designer, said "My iftar is incomplete without it." And for Shahed Latif, a Facebook user,  "Rooh Afza sharbat is the best drink in summer."

But then there are also many who absolutely hate it — with passion. 

Mezbah Khan Sourav, a student of Dhaka University, said "It smells really  bad. Once a friend force-fed it to me; no one can make me drink it again."

Many millennials like Tajkia Jannat, an entrepreneur, used to think that drinking Rooh Afza adds Sawab (rewards) to the religious tally. How this drink got related to religion is a mystery. However, in an interview with The New York Times, Manik said, "We brand this as a halal drink." This might account for the religious myth. 

Dhaka-based marketing expert Niamul Karim thinks it could be that Rooh Afza is also popular in Pakistan. 

"A large part of our country's religious clerics followed Pakistani ads. From those Hujurs, it came to our grandparents, who then passed it down to our parents and us," he theorised.  

Some credit behind this myth also goes to its name that sounds Arabic. However, the name "Rooh Afza" actually just means "soul refresher" in Urdu. The syrup is typically mixed with water, milk, or yoghurt to create a refreshing drink, and it is also used as an ingredient in various desserts and dishes. 

Birth as a herbal medicine

A forsaken building in Old Delhi's Lal Kuan Bazar, near the busy Hauz Qazi Chowk, still smells of roses. In 1907 Hakeem Abdul Majeed came up with the formula Rooh Afza in this building.

Back in the early 20th century, for the common Delhiites, heat stroke, dehydration and diarrhoea were major issues in summer. Hakim (herbal doctor) shops or Dawa Khanas were always filled with people suffering from these ailments. 

Manik also shared that the anti-imperialist movement was a factor too in popularising the drink. When the British used to have wine in different gatherings, Muslims would refrain. From the anti-imperialist idealism, Hakeem Abdul Majeed wanted a colourful drink that would be India's own. 

"Therefore, he started working on a medicine that would help the common people during the summer days and also be a healthy refreshing drink," Manik explained. 

Hakim Abdul Majeed was known for his expertise in herbal medicine, which is a traditional system of medicine that is based on the teachings of ancient Greek physicians, such as Hippocrates and Galen. He invented a syrup that prevents water loss and counters heat strokes (these claims have not been verified by a medical professional). 

The recipe was refined over time, and the final liquid that emerged was the iconic Rooh Afza. It was prepared by making a perfect mix of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and roots, all infused with a sugar syrup. It was an instant hit in Delhi, not because of its medicinal properties, but initially because of its taste. As word of mouth spread, the fragrance of Rooh Afza permeated way beyond Delhi and sales started increasing rapidly. 

It is said that people used to come carrying pots and buckets to buy and store it for later. Later on, Abdul Majeed started to mass produce Rooh Afza at a factory in Ghaziabad, just outside Delhi. With all the sales and popularity, the company has now become one of the largest unani medicine manufacturers in the world, with presence in over 25 countries.

The syrup that survived a partition and a war

By the 1940s, Rooh Afza was found in almost every kitchen in Delhi and also abundantly in other provinces. Then came partition in 1947. Delhi's Muslim population started to flee their homes, taking shelter in the refugee camps. Many families were torn apart, as one part opted for Pakistan and the other chose to stay in India.

Hamdard, the manufacturer of the Rooh Afza, was no exception. Following the partition of India in 1947, Majeed's elder son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, stayed back in India, while the younger son, Hakim Mohammad Said, migrated to Pakistan and started a separate Hamdard Company from two rooms in the old Arambagh area of Karachi on 9 January 1948. 

The magic of Rooh Afza worked and in no time, Hamdard Pakistan became very successful. Meanwhile, Hakim Mohammad Said had expanded the company's reach to East Pakistan, opening sales centres in Chattogram and Dhaka. Finally, with the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971, Hamdard Bangladesh came into being. 

Mohammad Said's daughter, Sadia Rashid, who was the chairperson of Hamdard Pakistan in 2019, told Outlook India that her father gifted the business to the people of Bangladesh after their independence in 1971. After independence, this part of Hamdard Pakistan was renamed to Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh. 

Some regular or intermittent drinkers of the syrup claim the taste of the drink has changed over the decades. "The old taste is lost, and the overall quality has fallen", said Rezaul Karim, who works at a newspaper. 

A student of Noakhali Textile Engineering College, Fahim seconded him and said, "It's not the same thing I used to have when I was a kid."

According to Hamdard, the taste of Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi Rooh Afza may differ slightly. As Manik noted, "If someone compares two different versions of Rooh Afza, they might find a difference, otherwise it should be the same."

Despite its declining popularity, there is no real competitor to Rooh Afza. "The recall rate of the Rooh Afza name and brand is so high for selective target groups, even if other brands spend huge sums of money branding a new product, they are not likely to recreate the same appeal," opined Niamul Karim.