In Ramadan, bachelors complete pending tasks, catch up with family

Abu Dhabi: Catching up with friends, pursuing their favourite ways to relax and unwind or even paying more attention to health matters than during the other months of the year are some of the things bachelors in Abu Dhabi told Gulf News they enjoy due to the reduced working hours in Ramadan.

There are many simple things that they find pleasure in doing, such as just going for a walk when the evening is cooler.

Putting things in order

Manoj Vasudevan, 39, a purchasing manager, said, “During Ramadan, I spend the extra time primarily on two things — taking up jogging in order to stay fit, and secondly, trying to clear up the pending tasks at work so I can streamline my schedule.”

Vasudevan added, “The reduction in working hours also creates a window of opportunity to be able to spend more hours staying in touch with my family which is in Kerala. I get more time to talk to my children back home.”

Vasudevan, who has been living in Abu Dhabi for six years, believes that the two-day weekend is also a primary incentive to try and clear all pending work in the office. “Since the company provides us two days off in a week, we are supposed to finish our work, so spending [extra] an hour [a day] to clear pending work is, in fact, saving time for the weekend,” he said.

Sports and biking

There are others who get even more time off as they get extra reduced working hours during Ramadan.

Paolo Navarro, a 30 year-old-Filipino, said, “On regular days, we put in 10 hours daily but during Ramadan, the company reduces the working hours by four.”

This helps him, and others like him, to utilise the extra time in different ways. 
“We get a good amount of extra time to spend on sports activities,” Navarro said.

For Navarro, who works at a coffee shop in the capital, and has been in this job for three years, the extra time helps him also focus on his hobbies.

“Most of my extra time I spend on playing basketball and biking with friends,” he said.

Devoting time to prayer

For Firas Hayek, a 34-year-old Syrian, the extra hours during Ramadan are spent on physical activities on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, taking some rest and focusing on praying.

During Ramadan, he stays awake the whole night. He buys his meals for suhour from a restaurant since he does not cook.

Hayek, who works for a bank, said he goes for a walk along the Corniche, returns to his apartment and performs his prayers.

“Then I take some rest until iftar time. So I divide my [extra] time on a few things.”

For Hayek, Ramadan is a month of blessings. “So I spend all my iftar and suhour time with friends.

“I also devote a lot of time to prayers.”