Rooh Afza

This article is about the drink. For the 2021 Hindi film, see Roohi Afza.

Rooh Afza
TypeConcentrated herbal, Squash (drink)
InventorHakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed
Inception1906 (1906)
ManufacturerHamdard India, Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan, Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh
AvailableIndian subcontinent
SloganDrink of the East

Rooh Afza (Urdu: روح افزا; Hindi: रूह अफ़ज़ा; Bengali: রূহ আফজা; lit. 'Soul Refresher') is a drink which is a concentrated squash.[1] It was formulated and introduced in 1906 in the Indian city of Ghaziabad by Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed.[2][3][4][5] Currently, Rooh Afza is manufactured by the companies founded by him and his sons, including Hamdard India (the parent company), as well as Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan and Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh.[6] Since 1948, the company has been manufacturing the product in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.[3]

Other companies formulate the same un-patented recipe in these countries as well, and similar drinks are consumed in the Indian subcontinent during the summer, such as Khas Sharbat.[7] The name and brand of Rooh Afza is a trademark of Hamdard, by court decision in 2023.[8][9][10] The specific Unani recipe of Rooh Afza combines several ingredients (including thirteen herbs) popularly thought to be cooling agents,[11] such as rose, which is used as a remedy for loo (the hot summer winds of the Indo-Gangetic Plain).[6][12] The drink is also associated with the month of Ramadan, in which it is usually consumed during iftar.[6] It is sold commercially as a syrup to flavour sherbets, cold milk drinks, ices, and cold desserts such as the popular falooda.[13] The Hindi-Urdu name Rooh Afza is sometimes translated as "refresher of the soul".[14][15] It is said that this name was made up by the original formulator of the drink, with possible cultural influences.[16][3]

History

A bottle of Rooh Afza.
A sharbat drink made from Rooh Afza syrup.

Rooh Afza was founded by Hamdard's founder Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed in Ghaziabad, British India, and launched from the nearby city of Old Delhi.[2] In 1906, he wanted to create a herbal mix that would help Delhi's people stay cool in the summer. He selected herbs and syrups from traditional Unani medicine and created a drink that would help counter heat strokes and prevent dehydration in people. An artist, Mirza Noor Ahmad, designed the labels of Rooh Afza in many colours in 1910. Progress in development and refining the original recipe continued all along until the final drink emerged.[3][7]

After Majeed's death 15 years later, his wife Rabea Begum established a charitable trust in the name of herself and her two sons.[17]

Following the partition of India in 1947, while the elder son, Hakim Abdul Hameed, stayed in independent India – the younger son, Hakim Mohammad Saeed, migrated to the newly created state of Pakistan on 9 January 1948 and started a separate Hamdard Company from two rooms in the Arambagh area of Karachi.[3][15] Hamdard Pakistan finally became profitable in 1953. Hakim Mohammad Said had opened a branch of Hamdard in the former East Pakistan. According to Hakim Mohammad Said's daughter, Sadia Rashid, chairperson of Hamdard Pakistan in 2019, her father gifted the business to the people of Bangladesh after their independence from Pakistan in 1971.[3]

In 2010, Indian chef Nita Mehta and Indian film actress Juhi Chawla were hired for promotional activities by Hamdard Laboratories to create new mocktail and dessert recipes for Rooh Afza, their all-season summer drink, which was used in a new marketing campaign.[18]

Indian company Dabur produces Rooh Afza under the brand 'Sherbat-i-Azam'.[19]

Ingredients

Its original formulation included:[20]

Preparation

Rooh Afza syrup is generally served mixed with cold milk or water and ice. Rooh Afza is often prepared as part of Iftar (the evening meal for breaking the fast or roza), during Ramadan.[21] The concentrate can also be mixed with water, which is a common preparation in the hot South Asian summers. When mixed with water, the final drink is a type of sharbat. Rooh Afza syrup is often mixed with Kulfi ice cream and vermicelli to make a similar version of the popular Iranian dessert Faloodeh.

Variants

Hamdard Laboratories India has launched two ready to drink variants in India namely RoohAfza Fusion and RoohAfza Milkshake.[22][23][24][25]

In Pakistan, one of the ready-to-drink variants, called the Rooh Afza Go,[26] is available in a can form. In addition a drink commonly prepared by parents for kids in Pakistan, is now available as a product from Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan, called the Doodh (milk) Rooh Afza.[27] It is essentially Rooh Afza flavored milk, packaged in a 225ml milk carton.

See also

References

  1. ^ Raza, Syed Qasim (19 May 2018). "Rooh Afza: the eternal elixir of the east". Aurora. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "In India, Rooh Afza lovers rejoice as the drink returns to shelves in time for Ramadan". Qrius. 11 May 2019. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Family Rift Behind Disappearance of Favourite Summer Drink Rooh Afza, But Company Denies Archived 7 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine NEWS 18 INDIA website, Published 9 May 2019, Retrieved 4 May 2020
  4. ^ [1] Archived 7 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine[2] Archived 26 May 2018 at the Wayback Machine Introduction-history Hamdard Rooh Afza
  5. ^ "How Hamdard's Ruby-Hued Refresher Became an Indian Summer Staple". The Better India. 8 May 2019. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Hamdard India head on why Rooh Afza is an Indian drink: 'It is older than Pakistan and Bangladesh'". The Indian Express. 14 September 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2026. Rooh Afza has been a much-loved cooling drink consumed by people across the length and breadth of the country for generations — especially during the unforgiving summer months and at the time of Ramzan, when there is both fasting as well as feasting. Its consumption, however, is not limited to India. People of Pakistan are big Rooh Afza drinkers, too, as are those living in Bangladesh, both of which are neighbours to India and were carved out of it during the Partition of 1947.
  7. ^ a b Tyagi, Tashika (4 July 2023). "Did You Know Your Beloved Rooh Afza Actually Originated A Century Back In Old Delhi?". The Times Group. Retrieved 16 April 2026. The recipe of Rooh Afza remains un-patented and that's why you can find many similar drinks in the market.
  8. ^ Chaddha, Shreya (9 January 2023). "'Rooh Afza' has Immense Goodwill: Delhi HC Rules in Trademark Infringement Case". Fox Mandal. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  9. ^ "Explained | What is the Delhi HC verdict on 'Rooh Afza' trademark?". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  10. ^ "Rooh Afza v. Dil Afza: A Classic Case of Deceptive Similarity – NLIU Cell for Studies in Intellectual Property Rights". 9 February 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  11. ^ Schwartz, Ralph (10 April 2021). "What Is Rooh Afza And What Does It Taste Like?". Mashed. Retrieved 15 April 2026. Rooh Afza is a concoction of 13 herbs invented in India in 1906, and it became a staple in Pakistan and Bangladesh, too, as the Indian subcontinent experienced one political division after another.
  12. ^ Saraswat, Aditi (6 February 2026). "Rose Day 2026: How Roses Have Always Been Part Of The Indian Diet". Slurrp. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  13. ^ H. Panda (2004), Handbook on Ayurvedic Medicines with Formulae, Processes and Their Uses, National Institute of Industrial Research, ISBN 81-86623-63-9, ... When we keep in mind the many qualities Rooh Afza's ingredients described above, it is easy to understand why it has been found to be an exceptionally appropriate summer drink ...
  14. ^ "Rooh Afza GO & design — 2184405" (in The translation provided by the applicant of the HINDI word(s) ROOH AFZA is SOUL REFRESHER.). Government of Canada. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  15. ^ a b "Rooh Afza, the syrup that sweetens the subcontinent's summers". The National (Abu Dhabi) (newspaper). 27 April 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Rooh Afza History English". www.roohafzabd.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  17. ^ "Across Borders and Divides, One Heavenly Refresher Cools Summer Heat". The New York Times. 7 July 2021. Archived from the original on 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Hamdard gives century-old Rooh Afza a facelift". Hindustan Times. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  19. ^ Baisya, Rajat K. (2008). Changing Face of Processed Food Industry in India. Ane Books India. p. 12. Rooh Afza is about 50% of the market. To get chunk of this market Dabur launched its Sherbat-i-Azam.
  20. ^ Rooh Afzalː The unique composition of Rooh Afza(Archive)
  21. ^ Roohafza reigns supreme in Pakistan during Ramzan Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine ZEE TV News website, Published 12 October 2007, Retrieved 26 April 2020
  22. ^ "Hamdard Laboratories India launches 'ready to drink' RoohAfza Fusion and RoohAfza Milkshake". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  23. ^ "Hamdard Laboratories India forays into 'ready-to-drink' segment with RoohAfza Fusion and RoohAfza Milkshake". www.bestmediaifo.com. 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  24. ^ "FNB News - Hamdard forays into 'ready to drink' with RoohAfza Fusion and Milkshake | FNB News". www.fnbnews.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  25. ^ "RoohAfza Fusion: Hamdard Laboratories India enters ready-to-drink segment". ETRetail.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  26. ^ "Rooh Afza Go". Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Doodh Rooh Afza". Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
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