Akshaya Aahara Foundation distributes food to migrants, daily wage workers during weekend lockdown

Mysore/Mysuru: As the pandemic is leaving deep scars across the country, many social organisations were able to foresee the depth of the socio-economic impact that is caused by the pandemic. With utmost presence of mind, several NGOs distributed free meals to migrant labourers and whoever was found hungry on the streets last year during lockdown. 

The same scene was witnessed in Mysuru yesterday during the weekend curfew when Akshaya Aahara Foundation distributed food in city at three places. The Foundation’s target was stranded passengers, migrant labourers, daily wage workers who had no access to food and also commuters who come to city in search of work every day. 

As weekend curfew was imposed at 9 pm from last Friday, many commuters and daily wage workers were unable to return homes at far off places like Hunsur, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Gundlupet Malavalli and Thalavadi in Tamil Nadu. In the absence of buses, many were forced to sleep in bus shelters, parks and in front of shops. 

As they had to return to work on Monday (today), they preferred to sleep over at available open spaces. As the hotels were serving only parcel service, they did not have a place to sit and eat. Neither did they have money. The Akshaya Aahara Foundation provided them food on both Saturday and Sunday. 

Three meals were served by the Foundation near K.R. Hospital where it has a permanent outlet, Moksha Marga at Siddarthanagar and at Sumasopana Park at Kuvempunagar. Dishes included freshly cooked upma, sweets and puliyogare. Notably, at the K.R. Hospital outlet, hundreds of relatives and patient attendees too queued up to have a meal. 

The Akshaya Aahara Foundation is the brainchild of H.R. Rajendra, who began the initiative on November 13, 2015. He is a native of Tumakuru and based in Mysuru now and has a strong belief that people must not waste cooked food. 

On usual days, Rajendra collects surplus food prepared at various parts of the city at hotels, marriages, social functions, cafeterias and sometimes even from households and supplies them to the poor and needy at slums and places where there is more concentration of daily wage workers. Food is also distributed to orphanages. 

The Foundation got into act last year immediately after the nationwide lockdown was announced and went around streets to supply food. Prepared food was carried in pick-up vehicles and auto rickshaws three times a day and the hungry were fed. “We supply food to the place where hungry people sit. If the Government again imposes lockdown, we are ready to supply food like last year,” Rajendra told Star of Mysore. 

Rajendra said that he put in his personal savings of years to build the Foundation and there are many donors too. “While some donate money and some others contribute towards the fuel cost of vehicles. It is important to raise funds to be active and donors and philanthropists can contact Ph: 0821-2570967 or Mob: 91489-87375 and contribute to the noble cause,” he said.