Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed, a 24-year-old herbalist from Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi), could never have imagined that the simple drink he crafted in 1906 to soothe the throats of those stricken by the unforgiving summer heat would one day be transformed into a weapon of division.
He called it Rooh Afza, meaning “soul refresher” in Urdu, a perfect reflection of its purpose.
It was the same year when Gandhi first conceived the satyagraha in 1906 in response to a law discriminating against Asians that was passed by the British colonial government of the Transvaal in South Africa.
But what would have seemed like a simple, refreshing beverage became a symbol of unity—uniting people from all walks of life, all religions, and all regions.
Who would have thought that this pure concoction of rose petals and herbs would one day bear the weight of a new jihad? “Sharbat Jihad”, as it has been dubbed, by none other than Ram Kisan Yadav, or Baba Ramdev, a business mogul and Yoga guru.
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.