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Ramadan 2026: How food walks unite cultures across Indian cities
Many participants of these community events are non-Muslims who have come not just for sumptuous Iftar spread, but also to have conversations around fasting, religion and spiritual philosophies
- PUBLISHED: Thu 19 Feb 2026, 7:00 AM
It started with an idea born among kindred spirits and their shared love for the city of Delhi. Now, 14 years later, Ramadan food walks, pioneered by DelhiByFoot Adventures, has reached Kolkata and Hyderabad as well.
During Ramadan, the group organises ‘Iftar Sey Sehari Tak’ or Ramadan midnight walk. Ramit Mitra, the co-founder, told Khaleej Times: “Since 2012, the Ramadan Iftaar and Sehri experiences we offer have been a huge hit with both local Delhiites and visitors from around the world alike”
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“We have included people from all cultures and faiths, helping to bring them closer to each other,” he added, noting the initiative was “an idea born among kindred spirits, out of similar passions and a shared love for the city of Delhi, and the rich delights it has to offer.”
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Besides pioneering Ramadan food walks, the group has also curated Iftaar experiences inside Jama Masjid, Delhi's largest mosque, and has curated Ramzan food traditions from other Indian places like Hyderabad, Lucknow and Bhopal through sit-down, intimate Iftaars at homes of its community members and heritage lovers from all over the country.
“These home Ramadan Iftaars have been held in the homes of artists like famous musicians, calligraphers, authors and food historians,” said Mitra.
“The idea was always to help our community experience authentic home traditional Ramadan foods, which vary due to the regional backgrounds of our hosts, while bringing a deeper appreciation of the cultural context of the regions they belong to.
"Through these shared meals, our audiences not only explore local traditions of other parts of India but also feel the emotional connection with the lives of our hosts, exchanging childhood memories of Ramadan or similar festivals that all Indians used to once celebrate together," he added.
Warm conversations
According to Mitra, in its community-led events, the majority of the audience are people from non-Muslim backgrounds who have come not just for great Iftaar food spread, but also to have conversations around common concepts of fasting, and how humanity in its evolution has connected fasting with religious and spiritual philosophies.
For Ramadan 2026, Mitra noted he developed several special events, including Iftar celebrations at the homes of leading Hindustani Classical vocal musicians, showcasing their traditional home menu.
“Our annual special of an Iftar menu is curated from a few food items from four states: Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Karnataka. It is done every year at a sit-down restaurant in Shahjahanabad in Old Delhi," Mitra shared.
At these events, a celebrated historian presents her traditional royal family recipes at one of Delhi's iconic restaurants; a food historian does a pop-up on a mix of menus that come from the royal kitchens of a small Nawab's from Western UP. It also has an Iftar feast at the largest Dargah of Delhi.
“We also organise whole-night Iftar to Sehri walks in Delhi and Mumbai,” added Mitra. In Hyderabad, there is a four-day Ramadan special tour. “In the past, we have curated and led such Ramadan events in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, Kolkata, Bhopal and obviously in Delhi.
All these cities have their own rich food culture, and exploring Ramadan markets in these cities has its own charm.”
