The khushiyon ka tyohar is here. Diwali is known as the festival of lights and happiness and it’s time to count your blessings by giving charity to those in need.
And that’s exactly what these large-hearted city folks are doing. If you’re passing by the bustling 100 ft road in Indiranagar, you might come across a refrigerator outside Byblos Indiranagar, a Lebanese restaurant that reads ‘Fridge of Kindness.’ Delicious food, from fabulous tabbouleh to zattar bread, hummus, chicken shawarma, dal, rice and more cooked with love by Syrian chef Ammar Molki finds place in this fridge that is placed for the underprivileged people passing by.
Ammar Molki, Syrian head chef, Byblos who is known for his finger-licking baklavas and shawarmas states, “We started this last week and what better time to help the people on the streets than Diwali. We were approached by Rotary Bangalore Brigades and we willingly agreed as it is a great deed. It’s not waste or stale food, but most restaurants have extra food in the kitchens, from the buffets and everyday lunch and dinner. We keep food boxes for poor people from 12 noon onwards in the fridge outside and they can take the boxes. Everyday there are about 20 people who come over to eat the food. I request every restaurateur to follow us and help others in need by sharing love through food. God will surely help them in different ways if they help others. It makes me feel good that I can help poor people in this way, without expecting anything in return. But we plan to continue doing this all through the year by keeping vegetarian and non vegetarian fresh food in the fridge outside.”
Another large-hearted lady is founder HUG (Humane Universal Good Deed Network) and manager at an electric software firm, Madhumita Kalauny. She reveals, “We started conversations with restaurants during the event. As a result, we have restaurants who regularly contribute to our feeding programmes and two of them actually contribute on a daily basis to some of our beneficiaries. We have organised hunger management schemes through concepts like the Pledge a Meal programme. Here 32 participating restaurants give us cooked meals and then pledge long term support with dry rations. They also donate their excess food for charity. During Diwali too this noble deed will continue as we reach out to the underprivileged.”
Parag Sawhney, general manager, Hilton, Embassy GolfLinks adds, “As part of Global Month of Service, we are organising multiple activities along with several volunteers, including students from hotel management institutions and corporates. All the sandwiches prepared will be donated to an NGO called Rainbow Home. We keep doing such activities as a small gesture from our side can go a long way to bring smiles to the needy.”
