Sarkari Haleem

There’s mutton haleem, there’s chicken haleem, there’s veg haleem, even fish haleem and now we have government haleem. Considering how popular haleem is and how it is an integral part of life of Hyderabad the government has jumped into the haleem business. Sometime last month I had read that the government, i.e., the Tourism Department was considering going into the haleem business during the month of Ramzan. When the government is involved things are a bit different. Just how different it is depends on who you are and the kind of experience you had in the past.

As for me, it was a pleasant surprise to find that the APTDC had set up a haleem counter within a stone’s thrown away from the Secretariat where I am currently posted. The price was Rs 80 wotj a free Coke. I do not understand why the haleem had to be offered with Coke. Last week I picked up a small container of haleem. Though I said I did want the Coke they put it in the bag and handed it to me. For something of Government made it was pretty tasty, actually, finger licking good, to be honest. But the quantity wasn’t sufficient for two persons.

Anyway, this was my second haleem of the season. I had my first haleem at a place near home. Sometime in the beginning of the month of Ramzan I went along with my kid to Gharonda and tasted the haleem at Gharonda which was quite good though a bit expensive. I am yet to have the Paradise haleem and also one with my friend Raj. Every year, we have haleem together at least once in the season which is how friends in Hyderabad bond. Other times there’s chai and of course, biryani and during Ramzan it is over haleem that friends bond. There’s just a week left for the Ramzan month to end and I have to have one more round of haleem sometime in the next couple of days.