Guruvayur: Kerala may be a welfare state gifted with one of the lowest poverty levels in the country, but in the bus stands and railway stations of the state’s countless cities, towns and villages it is still a common sight to find people begging for food.
Now, a small group of youngsters in the temple town of Guruvayur in central Kerala are doing their bit to fill the gaping holes in tackling hunger.
Their idea may not be new or novel, but the message that Athazhakkoottam, a group of 12 youngsters, wants to deliver is spreading like wildfire.
The group, which in Malayalam means supper group, delivers food to homeless people. And how does it do that? Simple. It goes to weddings and family functions, asking for excess food that can be offered to people in need. Shabbir K M, a tailor by profession, who considers the group his brainchild, started the initiative in December 2014.
“On one hand, I felt upset at children and older people foraging through mounds of garbage for food at public places, and on the other hand often at weddings, to see people burying excess food or throwing them in the river. And then I wondered, isn’t one a solution to the other,” said Shabbir over the phone.
Shabbir, along with his friends, many of whom are just students, set out to spread the word, sticking posters and notices informing people of their cause. But more than word of mouth, it was the mighty Internet, with its host of social media platforms that came to their aid.
“When we started out, we got at least 25 calls on an average in a day offering food packets. All we did was spread messages on Whatsapp and Facebook. The response has been very good,” he said.
The group, upon receiving food, fan out into the city on their personal bikes to distribute the packets to the homeless, mainly the disabled and daily wage labourers. The group has a strict policy not to give food to alcoholics.
But many a times for Shabbir and his gang, the social service has left holes in their pockets. They would rummage through their personal savings to pay for fuel. To this day, it remains a concern that they don’t have a vehicle to pick up and deliver the food.
“To do things for public good, there will always be roadblocks. But there’s a sense of happiness in our minds, after we feed these people, some of whom may not have eaten for days,” Shabbir says.
In Kerala’s largely educated and digitised public space, Athazhakkoottam’s message has had a ripple effect, so much so that similar youngster groups have sprung up across several districts like Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram.
Shabbir and his friends have also started to take up offers from people who want to sponsor food. They say that people often find it hard to disburse food as the homeless are scattered across the region, and not necessarily in one place.
“We take money, prepare the food ourselves and distribute to the poor. And then we share pictures through Facebook with the sponsors,” he said.
Shabbir has not got the support he needs from the local administration, but he is undeterred. Also, the work of Athazhakootam has stolen time off Shabbir’s tailoring job.
But it doesn’t matter, he has big plans. “A man in Chennai has promised to sponsor our website. Work is going on. Hopefully, it will get us more donors,” he said.
(This appeared in The Indian Express on October 13, 2015)