Spry and witty, 74-year-old Mohammad Habibulla Khan, better known in the Old Town as Shakir Khan, is excited to welcome us into his ancestral home. “Most people I meet tell me stories of my ancestors and this ancient home... they usually know more than I do,” he chuckles, before quickly adding, “But whatever little I know, I will tell you.” Khan’s home, known as(big paw) in the area, is a landmark of sorts. “We use the ‘’ as a symbol during Muharram processions, perhaps that’s how the name came about,” he muses, as he settles down in the ancient sitting room, painted in green.is one of Vizag’s oldest buildings. it is believed to be as old as the Ishaq Madina dargah itself is.... so, maybe it’s some four centuries old. In fact, much of Waltair used to belong to this,” says Khan, adding, “Much of the history of the house itself is lost. But what I do know is that my ancestors were originally from Azerbaijan . If you notice, the architecture of this house too is largely influenced by our roots. Thetoo features the same architecture with its onion-shaped domes.” Over the years, a lot of repair works have been done, but some portions in the house have been left intact. “This living room for instance, is just as it was ages ago. Otherwise, no one would ever believe how old thisis,” says Khan, laughing.With a 400-year-old ancestry from a land far, far away from Vizag’s coast, we wonder how different Eid festivities are at the Khan household. “Ramzan has always been celebrated the same way in our family; we still follow the age old traditions that have been passed down by our ancestors.” But, over the centuries, they’ve also adapted to their new homeland and that’s reflected in their food. While mosteat meat during the month of Ramzan , their family eats fish, since they’ve been living in the coastal area for centuries.“We don’t follow Azerbaijan's traditions. During Ramzan, we eat fish instead of mutton. We make fish fries and curries with. Biryani and semiya on Eid are the go-to dishes in our family and we serve it to everyone who visits us,” says Khan. In fact, theirdelicacies too are unique. “We break the fast with roti,and fish. There’s so much fish in our diet because we’ve been living next to the harbour for so long.”Most of the recipes in the Khan household have been passed down over several generations. Some dishes, like the ‘’ are innovative and unique. “It’s not a sweet dish like you would imagine. It’s more like aand it’s spicy. But there’s also a tinge of sweetness since we addto it,” Khan reveals.Even as he gears up to celebrate another Eid with his family, Shakir Khan says that the festivities lack the charm it used to have earlier, when he celebrated Eid with 54 other families. “They used to stay in a row of houses behind this one and we were all related in some way or other. But now, everyone has moved and it’s just who remain in Old Town,” he adds, with a tinge of sadness.

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