In 1947, most of the family travelled to Pakistan. Only my grandfather, Hakeem Abdul Hameed, and his two sons stayed. Even as his younger brother, Hakim Mohammad Said, went to Pakistan, my grandfather said, ‘I will not be able to leave India because it is my motherland’,” Abdul Majeeb said.

I drank Rooh Afza with sparkling water, and one day, I wondered – what if we created a carbonated version,” he says. And so, Rooh Afza Go, a fizzy drink in a can, was launched in 2019. Qureshi did not expect it to be profitable competing in a carbonated drinks market dominated by global giants at a price point prohibitive to many. “This was something new, something that got affluent consumers curious,” Qureshi explained. He wanted to get a conversation, a viral moment, going. New bottles for Rooh Afza were designed in Germany after a few years. Initially, glass bottles were used, but subsequently, plastic bottles were developed. Hamdard Laboratory was set up in Pakistan, and it soon became the country's favorite beverage.By 2017, Hamdard found itself in danger of falling behind the times as it was now dealing with a new generation of consumers that did not have the nostalgic connection with a brand like Rooh Afza. “If we wanted to survive, we had to come up with new things,” Rashid says. Rabia Begum’s younger son, Mohammed Said, was inspired by the Muslim League, a political party advocating for the separate Muslim state of Pakistan and freedom from British colonial rule. He wanted to become a journalist, but his older brother Abdul Hameed convinced him to study medicine. In 1940, as the Muslim League was passing a resolution demanding independence, Mohammed Said graduated with a degree in eastern medicine. By 1948, while his brother remained at the helm of the company in India, Said migrated to Pakistan, with the plan to set up Hamdard there too. He brought with him his father’s formula for Rooh Afza. Two advertisements for Rooh Afza from the Illustrated Weekly of India, from 1977 (left) and 1980. Both seem to refer to competitors and stress that there is ‘nothing like’ Rooh Afza [Al Jazeera] Acidity regulator: This is used to maintain the pH level of the drink. Rooh Afza uses citric acid as an acidity regulator. Hakim Abdul Majeed named this drink Rooh Afza – the soul refresher. He used distillates of herbs, fruits, flowers and vegetables to make a concentrate that was mixed with water or another liquid and consumed. It is believed to have had up to 21 ingredients known for their cooling properties, including sandalwood, vetiver, purslane, screw pine, mint, spinach, and the heady rose.

Vegetables: Rooh Afza is not only tasty, but also has many health benefits, because there are many vegetables used in its creation. This includes mint, carrots and spinach. He was a practitioner of Unani Tibb – “Yunan” is the Arabic term for Greece, while “Tibb” is medicine, and this system derives its philosophy from Greek physicians but is used to refer to Islamic or Eastern medicine. While Unani Tibb has been formally recognised by the Pakistani government since 1965, this holistic approach to medicine has been studied in the subcontinent since the time of Avicenna.It does contain some vitamins and minerals but in a very insignificant amount that they are not even mentioned on the nutritional label. The partition of India was not only a separation of territory but also a division of families as well. However, we should be grateful that ideas like Rooh Afza did not completely vanish in India.