Vidyanathan, a resident of Mathala Narayanan Road, continues the 50-year-old family practice of providing home-cooked food for free to people only on two days of the year – on the ther and the Arabathumoovar days of Sri Kapaleeswarar’s panguni utsavam – a practice started by his father, late Natraj Iyer.
Last year, he, his family and well-wishers simply had to reach out in the same manner during the grey days of the lockdown, days when people on the street went without food.
On Sunday last, he opened the kitchen again to let the cooks prepare meals and then served the food to people – since it was lockdown Sunday.
To people who queued up, they gave two food packets (sambar rice and curd rice) and a water bottle. Some 500 people were served.
“We always have volunteers who help us pack the food in the morning and then go off for their work,”
said Vidyanathan.
Funds are raised from the contributions made by well-wishers, relatives and friends from
abroad. A day’s lunch to some 500 people can cost up to Rs. 5000.
“On certain days we won’t have funds but we somehow manage to do without saying no to people,” says Vidyanathan.
If the lockdown rule continues into May, this team on Mathala Narayanan Street will not hesitate to do its bit for the homeless.
- Photo used here is for representation only.
- Report by Aishwarya R.
