This Ramzan, a sub-inspector of police and his wife have started distributing home-cooked meals for iftar every evening for families in D.J. Halli and Shivajinagar. After his wife Mubasshira prepares a meal of rice bath, a pakora and a sweet, PSI Srinivas T. takes the food packets to households in D.J. Halli at 4.30 p.m.
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Every day, while caring for her own children, Mubasshira prepares food for over 60 people. Srinivas packs the same and takes it to pockets in Shivajinagar where urban poverty is stark and not all families have access to aid. The couple has been distributing food since the beginning of the lockdown but decided to make the meal extra special for those breaking their fast.
On March 24, Srinivas, was deputed to Shivaji Nagar and later to D.J. Halli. “As part of the security duty, I visited a few localities and found real poverty. People living in slums were begging for food. Though many people were supplying food and ration, these weren’t reaching everyone,” he said.
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PSI Srinivas brought this to the notice of his seniors and with the help of a some friends, started pooling in money to buy groceries. “The bigger problem was finding someone to prepare the food. Mubasshira overheard the group discussing suggestions and volunteered. Over the weeks, Srinivas’ colleagues and friends started chipping in. “Whenever possible, we are also distributing monthly rations to families in need,” he added. These days, they’ve been providing food packets to as many as 100 people.
Mubasshira has never been more busy. Since Ramzanbegan, she’s been getting up before dawn to prepare sehri, the meal consumed early in the morning before fasting. She then makes breakfast for her children before preparing for the evening iftar. “I am not tired of cooking for so many people. I’ve become used to it and am happy to be doing my bit to help,” she said.
It’s not always easy to acquire ingredients, but so far, the couple has managed with help from their friends.
