By Razia Sanwari
Udaipur, March 31, 2020: An organization of Bohra community has launched a project to distribute food packets daily to the needy in Udaipur, a major city in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan.
About 20 volunteers of the Bohra Youth Sansthan (institute) began the distribution from a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the lockdown on March 24 by to fight the Corona Virus pandemic.
The volunteers now distribute more than 300 packets daily, mostly to the daily wagers who are forced to go hungry because of lack jobs.
The local administration has given permission to the Bohra Youth Medical Relief Society to carry on their relief work within the city. They also go on their ambulance to camps that house daily wage laborers.One camps is the Khanjipeer kachchi bustee where daily wage workers struggle to survive.
Food is prepared in the Bohra community hall and hygienically packed. The pack includes one vegetable dish, chapattis, rice and bottled water. Local Bohra women too help by making chapattis in their homes.
Anees Meyaji, secretary of the Udaipur Bohra Youth Sansthan, says the quantity is “sufficient for two meals and we want to keep it simple so that we are able to continue for a longer time based on the funds we have.”
He further said the volunteers take all the precautions to prevent spread of Covid-19 during distribution. They are equipped with face masks, sanitizers and gloves, said Meyaji, who is also president of the Bohra Youth Medical Relief Society
Apart from food packets, the volunteers also distribute masks and sanitizers to those who cannot afford them. They also carry medicines to give to the poor as per requirement. They also sell at it’s their medicare center masks and sanitizers to the general public at discounted rates.
The project is funded by donations from the community members. The reformists plan to seek help from their various institutions in Udaipur.
“The community needs to rally around in such extraordinary circumstances where other issues have to take a backseat,” says Meyaji.
He also says this distribution network has been created to cater to all those who are needy, regardless of their caste or creed, and their food and medical needs are being taken care of. And this effort will continue till as long as required, he adds.
The Bohra community, also known as the Dawoodi Bohras, is a sect within the Ismā’īlī branch of Shia Islam. The largest populations of Dawoodi Bohras reside in India, Pakistan, Yemen, East Africa and the Middle East. Most sources put the worldwide population to be 1 million.
They follow an embodiment of Shiism propagated by the Fatimid Imamate in medieval Egypt. Adhering to the traditional norms of Islam, they pray five times a day, fast in the month of Ramadan, perform Haj and Umrah and give Zakat.
Their communities are united by a set of centuries-old principles: an unwavering commitment to the faith; being law-abiding citizens and developing a genuine love for the country of their residence; a belief in the value of society, education, hard work and empowering women; engagement with other faiths; and a responsibility to care for the environment and all creatures that dwell within it.
They seek to embrace modernity while remaining true to their traditions and core beliefs.