Kamran Rahman, Metering Analyst, Governance Services
A day in the life of… Fasting in Ramadan!
Not even water?! The most common question asked during the Fasting month of Ramadan. Yes, Muslims do not even drink water during fasting!
Islam is based upon 5 fundamental pillars, and fasting is the fourth pillar of Islam. The others being; faith, prayer, charity and pilgrimage. Once a year the month of Ramadan rolls around, in which eating, and drinking amongst other things are prohibited from sunrise till sunset; for 30 days. This year in the UK the fasting hours are approximately 18-19 hours. This also means, we have a little under 6 hours to do everything else.
There are various reasons as to why Muslims fast during Ramadan. One being, it encourages a greater appreciation for the less-fortunate and needy, thus ensuring a greater appreciation for all that we have. Ramadan also promotes increased self-control (similar to Lent in Christianity and Yom Kippur in Judaism), charity, mindfulness, good health and overall well-being. You can say, fasting performs a sort of a major service or a full system detox over the 30 days on oneself – flushing out all the toxins; physically, mentally and emotionally.
As you can imagine, eating around 9pm, then trying to get in as many calories, fats, carbs and proteins to maintain a healthy diet without losing too much weight over a 30-day period; juggling Ramadan prayers; taking a nap and waking up to eat again around 2am can be somewhat mentally and physically challenging. Not forgetting the fact, you have work in the morning… did someone say work?
I have been fortunate enough at ElectraLink to have the option to work from home twice a week as well as being given flexible working hours. Throw in the combination of a relaxed office environment and friendly approachable colleagues which have truly helped so far.
All of this has made it somewhat easier to get enough sleep and have the energy to plough and smile through the working day; attending Metering related industry meetings (some have required traveling, funny enough, the first day of Ramadan, I had to wake up at 6am to catch the train from St. Pancreas to East Midlands Parkway to make it for the Metering Amalgamation Group); carrying out desk-based Audits on the two registration schemes (Approved Meter Installer and Meter Asset Manager Code of Practises); consulting with metering agents and managing the accounts of the some of the company’s key clients amongst other Governance Services duties.
A truly touching gesture was made by Stefan Leedham, the Director of GS, to move the team lunch away from the main office to ease the pressures on those that are fasting at ElectraLink. I assume, Stefan wanted to avoid some HANGRY zombies in the office!