Pakistan’s Hamdard offers RoohAfza supply as India faces shortage

ISLAMABAD – Pakistani company Hamdard has offered to supply RoohAfza in India following the reports of shortage of the summer refreshment syrup during the Muslim holy month of Ramazan.

Reacting to an article by an Indian news site, Hamdard Pakistan Chief Executive Usama Qureshi has offered to supply the popular RoohAfza drink to India through the Wagah border.

"We can supply RoohAfza and RoohAfzaGO to India during this Ramzan. We can easily send trucks through Wagah border if permitted by Indian Government," he said in a tweet.

Brother @DilliDurAst, we can supply #RoohAfza and #RoohAfzaGO to India during this Ramzan. We can easily send trucks through Wahga border if permitted by Indian Government.

— Usama Qureshi (@UsamaQureshy) May 7, 2019

The iconic drink, produced by Hamdard Laboratories, has been off the market in India for four to five months and it was unavailable on online stores as well, according to a report by Indian publication The Print.

Hundreds of tweets rolled in about the drink being an integral part of an iftar. Tweep @vrishtibeniwal posted: “Breaking the fast in the evening, iftar, has traditionally consisted of pakoras [fritters], fruit chaat [fruit salad], dates and Rooh Afza. An iftari without Rooh Afza is just not the same.”

While many speculations have been circulating around the drink’s shortage, a representative from Hamdard India said that it was because of issues at the production stage.

“We are facing supply constraints of certain herbal ingredients. We hope to fix the demand supply gap within a week,” said Mansoor Ali, chief sales and marketing officer at Hamdard, according to a report by The Economic Times.

Originally created by a Unani (Greek) hakim or doctor as a herbal concoction to beat the heat, RoohAfza has gone on to become the most popular rose-flavoured summer drink across Pakistan and India.

In 1908, in the bylanes of Old Delhi, Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed decided to make a herbal mix that would help Delhi’s masses stay cool in summer. Selecting herbs and syrups from traditional Unani (Greek) medicine, he created a drink that would help counter heat strokes, bring down palpitations and prevent water loss. He named it RoohAfza, which in Urdu literally meant something that refreshes the soul.