'Cools Every Heart': Pilibhit Locality, Where Rooh Afza Creator Once Lived, Reacts To Ramdev's 'Sharbat Jihad' Remark
Recently, Baba Ramdev, the founder of Patanjali Ayurveda, made a controversial remark linking a 'soft drink' with 'Sharbat Jihad,' thrusting Rooh Afza into the national spotlight.
Neither a Muslim nor a Jihadi, the residents of Pilibhit’s Punjabiyan locality, where the creator of the globally loved drink Rooh Afza once lived, say, “It’s just a drink that cools every heart." Recently, Baba Ramdev, the founder of Patanjali Ayurveda, made a controversial remark linking a ‘soft drink’ with ‘Sharbat Jihad,’ thrusting Rooh Afza into the national spotlight. Despite this, in Punjabiyan Mohalla of Pilibhit – where the drink’s creator was born – residents dismiss the controversy. For them, Rooh Afza is a symbol of sweetness and unity, cherished across faiths for over a century, embodying the spirit of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.
The Statement that Stirred the Pot
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In a now-viral video, Baba Ramdev compared soft drinks to toilet cleaners and promoted Patanjali’s herbal sharbat as a healthier, spiritually aligned alternative. He said, “On one side there are soft drinks like toilet cleaners, on the other side there is a company which sells sharbat, but with the money obtained from that, it builds madrasas and mosques. And if you take Patanjali sharbat, then gurukul will be built, acharyakulam will be built, Patanjali Vishwavidyalaya and Bharatiya Shiksha Board will grow further." He concluded by coining the term: “Isliye main kehta hoon ye sharbat jihad hai. Jaise love jihad, vote jihad, waise hi sharbat jihad bhi chal raha hai (That’s why I say this is sharbat jihad. Just like Love jihad, vote jihad, sharbat jihad is going on)."
We got “Sharbat Jihad" before GTA VI 💀😭 pic.twitter.com/qIuLrkhJxe— Yash Tiwari (@DrYashTiwari) April 9, 2025
Although Ramdev didn’t name any brand, many interpreted his remarks as a jab at Rooh Afza, a 100-year-old beverage synonymous with Indian summers and a flagship product of Hamdard Laboratories.
‘Sharbat Jihad’ Controversy Erupts
Reactions to Baba Ramdev’s statement were swift and furious. Leaders and scholars from the Muslim community called it an irresponsible and inflammatory remark, given Rooh Afza’s symbolic status across communities. Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, president of the All India Muslim Jamaat, condemned the comment, stating, “Baba Ramdev is free to promote his products – no one has any objection to that. But linking Rooh Afza with jihad is completely wrong. Rooh Afza is a product of a renowned company that has been serving the nation since before independence. Business in this country runs not on religion, but on trust and quality."
Maulana Qari Ishaq Gora of Darul Uloom Deoband released a video urging people to boycott Patanjali until Baba Ramdev apologises, saying, “I used to think Ramdev was an intellectual, but his words proved otherwise – such language only spreads hatred in society. Rooh Afza is a symbol of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, of our shared cultural harmony."
Social media saw an outpouring of support for the heritage brand, with users sharing nostalgic memories tied to the drink – Ramzan iftar tables, summer weddings, childhood school vacations – all painted in the shade of Rooh Afza’s ruby red.
The Roots of Rooh Afza
Long before it became a household name across South Asia, Rooh Afza was the innovation of Hakeem Hafiz Abdul Majeed, a Unani physician born in 1883 in Pilibhit’s Punjabiyan Mohalla. After moving to Delhi in search of livelihood, he established a small Unani dispensary named Hamdard Dawakhana in Old Delhi. In the summer of 1907, noticing how patients suffered from dehydration and lack of appetite, Hakeem Majeed prepared a herbal syrup to replenish body fluids.
He mixed extracts of fruits like orange, watermelon, and pineapple with herbs and cooling agents like khus, kewda, rose petals, coriander, and lotus. The result was a vibrant red concentrate he named Rooh Afza, meaning “soul refresher." The label was printed in Hindi, Urdu, and English on handmade paper from a printer in Hauz Qazi. Within a year, the product became wildly popular. Patients and the general public alike lined up outside his Dawakhana to buy the drink. By 1922, after Hakeem Majeed’s untimely death, his elder son Hakeem Abdul Hameed took charge of the Indian branch, while his younger son Hakeem Mohammad Saeed, who later migrated to Pakistan, started production in Karachi.
Today, Rooh Afza is made in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, continuing the Hamdard legacy across borders.
In Pilibhit, Where It All Began
Back in Punjabiyan Mohalla, Pilibhit, where Rooh Afza’s story began, the mood remains calm. Generations have grown up hearing stories of Hakeem Majeed and take pride in their link to this legendary drink. Mohammad Shafiq, a 68-year-old retired schoolteacher and lifelong resident of the mohalla, shrugs off the controversy, saying, “For us, Rooh Afza is simply a refreshing drink. What’s there to see in terms of Hindu or Muslim? It’s made on Eid, and on every festival like Teej too. We say it cools every heart – no matter who you are."
Youngsters echo similar sentiments. Anshul Verma, a local college student says, “Social media par kya chal raha hai, usse humein farq nahi padta. Ghar mein chhoti si party ho ya dhoop se laut rahe ho, mummy Rooh Afza hi deti hain (It doesn’t matter what’s going on on social media. Whether it’s a small party at home or we are returning after being out in the sun, mom has always given us Rooh Afza)."
In the bylanes of this town, memories aren’t made of controversies but of shared glasses on summer afternoons. Vendors still keep Rooh Afza bottles on their counters next to mango drinks and lassi. School children still ask for ice-filled Rooh Afza soda for five rupees.
As the debate rages in studios and on social media, the people of Pilibhit’s Punjabiyan Mohalla remind us of a more grounded, unified India – where a drink is not judged by the religion of its maker, but by the sweetness it brings to parched throats and tired souls.
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