Staff members of the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple have been distributing cooked food to a number of homeless persons living on the streets surrounding the temple, in the wake of the lockdown due to COVID-19.
G. Anandhan, one of the six staff members, said that they make one type of variety rice each day at the temple kitchen where annadhanam is cooked, and make around 300 packets for distribution. The practice has been going on since March 24.
Joint Commissioner of the temple, N. Natarajan said that prior to the lockdown, a total of 550 food packets would be made by the temple each day and distributed to devotees who arrived there for their lunch.
“Considering that there are so many people who end up sleeping on the streets near the temple, it is important to ensure that they are fed too. There are many persons with disabilities, tribals and urban poor who earlier used to survive by begging outside the temple. Now, they do not have any other source of income for their meals,” he said.
The team of temple staff usually give food packets to those on Chithirai, Masi and Avani Moola streets at around 9 a.m.. “Personnel of the police and the Corporation are helping out too in these areas,” the Joint Commissioner said.
Ever since the lockdown, the Meenakshi temple has been closed to the public as per the State Government’s order. Cleaning work is being undertaken at the temple.
