Dawoodi Bohra Forum

An important reason for our people esp ladies attending majlis and waiz is that they dont want to give the thaal members an impression of being very irregular and in the process lose its membership this is more often happening among ladies some of whom enters into the masjid half an hour before the drop scene but they are very concerned to mark their presence in the thaal. iam sure many readers would agree that this is a driving force esp for those who are not regular but at the sametime wants people to see that they are around.

salaar wrote:An important reason for our people esp ladies attending majlis and waiz is that they dont want to give the thaal members an impression of being very irregular and in the process lose its membership this is more often happening among ladies some of whom enters into the masjid half an hour before the drop scene but they are very concerned to mark their presence in the thaal. iam sure many readers would agree that this is a driving force esp for those who are not regular but at the sametime wants people to see that they are around.

This is so true...many do go to majlis and waez to be seen by other community members and show their presence in the community although they may not be so involved with the community. I know a few who would come to waez and run away from the thals as they won't eat ghee laden food and rice or even they do sit in thal they would eat little.

I have seen this many times and unfortunately have to say that my parents are one of those people too. They are all like " na thaal ma zagaa nai malsay" if I stop going, so some of them go just to keep their place in the thaal and couldn't really care less about the event.
Then there are the people who also run away so that they don't have to eat ghee/oil laden food. The masjid has become more of a restaurant than a mosque. It just shows the amount of interest people have in what event they are actually attending. I know many people who attend just to eat there and don't even know what event is taking place.

Another thing to mention is the part that any newcomers are not welcome either. Sometimes I feel so wrong when a newcomer sits at our thaal and feels awkward because people are giving them the evil eyes. Imagine how uncomfortable the person must be feeling....

wiseman786 wrote:Another thing to mention is the part that any newcomers are not welcome either. Sometimes I feel so wrong when a newcomer sits at our thaal and feels awkward because people are giving them the evil eyes. Imagine how uncomfortable the person must be feeling....

Its like the caste system in Hindus !

We Nizari's are struggling with simillar issue -

Food served in Jamat Khana is hotly debated topic in Nizaris as well. Most of the jamat is evenly divided into those who like it, who don't like and who are in dilemma.

Some Jamat khan's there is no food at all and some serve food dozen times a year (not including snacks).

Advantages
More attendance
More Socializing
Stronger relationships
Not worrying about reaching home late and then eating


Disadvantages
Wrong motivation factor
Over socializing
Food Hygiene/Health issue

I have a few questions

How often the thaal is arranged? Are people notified ahead of time? Who pays for it (Kothar, Jamat) - Do everyone has to participate? How do you deal with health and hygiene issues?

salim wrote:We Nizari's are struggling with simillar issue -

Food served in Jamat Khana is hotly debated topic in Nizaris as well. Most of the jamat is evenly divided into those who like it, who don't like and who are in dilemma.

Some Jamat khan's there is no food at all and some serve food dozen times a year (not including snacks).

Advantages
More attendance
More Socializing
Stronger relationships
Not worrying about reaching home late and then eating


Disadvantages
Wrong motivation factor
Over socializing
Food Hygiene/Health issue

Bro salim,

The situation prevailing in your jamatkhana is similar to what happens in Bohras as regards Dabba/Thaali scam, most of the people have regular complains with regard to quality of food and hygiene. The Dabbas are delivered at doorstep to Bohra households and they consume the food in their respective homes. However the difference between your jamatkhana and Bohra FMB is that the Dabba is forced down the throat as it is mandatory to participate in the scam whether you like it or not and if one refuses to participate in the scam then he is harassed by the clergy by way of refusing to give clearance for nikah, wajebat dues and even when going for ziyarats at dargahs. The clergy forces them to go for dabbas as the same are PAID by bohras which is one of the many business ventures of the Dai wherein he makes handsome profits. I believe that no such thing exists in your community hence it is far better then this scam.

salim wrote:I have a few questions

How often the thaal is arranged? Are people notified ahead of time? Who pays for it (Kothar, Jamat) - Do everyone has to participate? How do you deal with health and hygiene issues?

The thaal system is a traditional trait in Bohras as majority of Bohras still prefer to eat in thaals even in their homes, hence the same is in jamatkhanas. As regards eating in jamatkhanas, Bohras have to compulsorily sit in thaals as there are no table/chairs. In every religious event, food is mandatory which is served immediately after the rituals and people prefer to sit in groups of their choice. Nothing is free in the community and every jaman is sponsored by some Bohras, however for a couple of times in a year it is announced that "Mola taraf si jaman che" but in reality Bohras jump over each other to contribute for the same due to which Mola gets 10 times more amount then the actual cost, hence "Mola taraf thi" is a mere eyewash. There is no systemic method by which we could deal in health and hygiene issues as the same is prepared by a few bhatiyaras which are approved by the clergy (Don't ask me the process of approval as there are a few favourites). It consists of rich food with 2 kharas 2 mithas and are high in calories.

Thank you for your information ghulam muhammed. It was very informative. I have one more question - Is thaal wala the person who is sponsoring the meal?

Thank you in advance

salim wrote:Thank you for your information ghulam muhammed. It was very informative. I have one more question - Is thaal wala the person who is sponsoring the meal?

Thank you in advance

Bro salim,

There is nothing like Thaalwalas as the thaals in Majids are served by bhatiyaras and khidmatguzars (Volunteers).

ghulam muhammed wrote:

salim wrote:Thank you for your information ghulam muhammed. It was very informative. I have one more question - Is thaal wala the person who is sponsoring the meal?

Thank you in advance

Bro salim,

There is nothing like Thaalwalas as the thaals in Majids are served by bhatiyaras and khidmatguzars (Volunteers).

Sounds good. Thank you!

Thaal wala means the people with whom u sit in thaal always or most of the time!

salim wrote:Thank you for your information ghulam muhammed. It was very informative. I have one more question - Is thaal wala the person who is sponsoring the meal?

Thank you in advance

dawedaar wrote:Thaal wala means the people with whom u sit in thaal always or most of the time!

salim wrote:Thank you for your information ghulam muhammed. It was very informative. I have one more question - Is thaal wala the person who is sponsoring the meal?

Thank you in advance

Got it. In our JK, the volunteer who sponsors the food, feels bad, if you don't go.

The good part is, in recent years more and more people are becoming health conscious, so now you can see many times brown rice, whole wheat bread, lesser oil, etc.

You can see a silent war between health conscious and those who care less about eating healthy and taste is everything. Many ismailis are food lovers and many of them are health conscious too. So to find a middle ground where people can eat tasty and healthy food, Health committee appointed a group of nutritionists and started this section, if you love food you will love this website.

http://theismaili.org/nutrition/recipes
http://theismaili.org/nutrition