The Indo Arab relations which began centuries continue to express itself in different dimensions. It maybe in the form of forms like dress, place names or even people’s names- these are only a form of indirect cultural symbiosis.

It is only natural for this to happen when two cultures meet or rather merge with one another. Most of the changes has been due to historical reasons as well. However a simple, yet significant, change which caught my attention was the names of fresh fruit juices that are getting popular in Kerala due to the rising heat of summers. [it is not in the scope of MeraWatan to discuss environmental issues like global warming 🙂 ]

Throughout Kerala, two fresh juices are very popular for their taste as well as their names. “Sharjah” and “Saudi” are the favorites of Keralites, especially during summers. “Sharjah” is a sweet shake of bananas and milk with plenty of sugar whereas Saudi is dates mixed with milk. Sharjah is the first choice of the majority as far as I have seen.