A SUMPTUOUS DINE, Series: PART 3 - SERVING WITH LOVE

Yet another busy day had come to an end. My ex-colleague Anitha and I were waiting for the bus at the bus stand to get back to the office after representing the NGO (Non Governmental Organisation) that we worked for at a charity event of a prestigious IT Company. We came across a pitiable sight of a stray dog which looked very weak, all skin and bones, sick and hungry, limping across the bus stand. We were moved by the sight. But I was overwhelmed with admiration for Anitha as she quickly sprinted to a petty shop which was located close by; bought a packet of buns and fed the ailing animal. I found this act to be very curtious and divine. It surely wasn't a surprise to me when I learn't one fine morning that Anitha had bought food from a hotel for an old beggar man who had perched on the foot path. If you have assessed Anitha to have come from a rich and affluent family, then you are wrong. She comes from a middle class family and is indeed rich only in her Heart. 💖

Blessed are those who are born very altruistic. A wealthy heart is better than a wealthy pocket. If one owns both, what a great combination that would be. There was a time when food was cooked abundantly at homes as friends or relatives; saints or travelers would drop by and would be served food with reverence, delight and gratitude. Beggars who would pass by seeking alms would be given at least a morsel to eat. But now times have changed and a glass of water if served would be a noble gesture if one lands at someone's house unexpectedly. "Water when asked for to quench ones thirst should never be denied to anybody, who ever it might be," were my childhood friend's mother's words which were frequently reiterated by my friend to me.😊

Never the less serving food to the needy has been a big part of our culture as well. Come festivals, there's alms given in terms of food to the poor. Ugadi is the New Year's Day for the people of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana , Karnataka and Maharashtra, states in India where giving alms is a part of the celebration. Mahavir Jayanti is one of the most important religious festivals for Jains. During the day, most members of the Jain community engage in some sort of charitable act. Eid-al-Fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Zakat al-Fitr is charity given to the poor at the end of the fasting month. Festivals always take us to  places of worship. Be it festivals or not it is surely a common sight to see people feeding the poor and other devotees at the temples, church, mosque, gurudwaras, etc. I would consider The Golden Temple at Amritsar as a wonderful example where one can witness the general masses selflessly cooking, serving and cleaning as thousands of people visit the temple every day.

If some target the places of worship to indulge in serving the hungry, we have others who prefer doing the same through NGO's that feed the poor and hungry. Without the consideration of cast, creed or nationality there are those who prefer serving food through the NGO's. Some of the notable NGO's that I came across are:

1. Feeding India works to eradicate hunger and food wastage in India.
2. Robin Hood Army is a volunteer based organization that works to get surplus food from restaurants across to the less fortunate people.
3. Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation in Bengaluru, India which strives to eliminate classroom hunger by implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in the government schools and government-aided schools. Alongside, Akshaya Patra also aims at countering malnutrition and supporting the right to education of socio-economically disadvantaged children.
4. Fight Hunger Foundation was founded with a simple goal in mind: No more hungry children in India. No more deaths caused by starvation, no more of irreversible damage to mental or physical health due to lack of food and water. No more denying our children their basic human right to be free from hunger.
5. Embracing The World is a global initiative that works towards alleviating poverty. According to them, they try to provide five basic needs – food, shelter, healthcare, education and livelihood, “whenever and wherever possible.”

People even walk into destitute homes, orphanages, old age homes, etc., during special occasions such as festivals, birthdays, and anniversary to celebrate and share their joy by distributing food with the humble lot. There are others like my ex-colleague Anitha who prefer serving independently. It has also come to the notice of many that a lot of people in the name of feeding the hungry dispose off leftover food stacked away for days and forgotten about, which is in the process of getting decomposed. Sadly the lady who works for us as our helper had fallen prey to one such insensitive act by another house holder whom she was working for. After which our helper suffered severe diarrhea for days. I only hope people realise that any living being to live a healthy life needs to eat healthy food.

The holy saints proclaim that the very act of serving food to the hungry fetches a lot of good in ones life. After all even one act of good done will fetch thousands in return. In fact that's the law of nature. It is also said that one mustn't publicise the good deed he does in any manner. The very act of serving will help one reduce his ego, but if the deed is publicised, the appreciation received from people will increase ones ego knowingly or unknowingly. The NGO's and similar organisations let the masses know of their work through publicity as it is a platform for people to reach out to the needy. Serving the society unconditionally is a way of conveying gratitude to the society and nature as a whole. Let us see to it that we feed a hungry being unconditionally at least once in our life time.😊