Rooh Afza
Rooh Afza (Urdu: روح افزا; Hindi: रूह अफ़ज़ा; Bengali: রূহ আফজা) (Soul Refresher) is a concentrated squash. It was formulated in 1906 in Ghaziabad, in the British India by Hakeem Muhammad Kabeeruddin and introduced by Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed, and launched from Old Delhi. Currently, Rooh Afza is manufactured by the companies founded by him and his sons, Hamdard Laboratories, India, Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan and Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh. Since 1948, the company has been manufacturing the product in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Rooh Afza logo | |
| Type | Concentrated herbal, Squash (drink) |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed Old Delhi, British India |
| Inception | 1906 |
| Manufacturer | Hamdard India, Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Bangladesh, and Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan |
| Available | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Middle East |
| Slogan | Drink of the East |
Other companies formulate the same un-patented recipe in these countries as well. The specific Unani recipe of Rooh Afza combines several ingredients popularly believed to be cooling agents, such as rose, which is used as a remedy for loo (the hot summer winds of Northern India and Pakistan and Bangladesh). The drink is commonly associated with the month of Ramadan, in which it is usually consumed during iftar. It is sold commercially as a syrup to flavour sherbets, cold milk drinks, ices, and cold desserts such as the popular falooda. The name Rooh Afza is sometimes translated as "refresher of the soul". It is said that this name was made up by the original formulator of the drink, with possible cultural influences.