At Tata Memorial Hospital, free meals at OPD for kin of patients

The Sikh community in Mumbai on Tuesday inaugurated a langar (free meal) service, named Rasoi 550, for friends and families of patients at the outpatient department

The Sikh community in Mumbai on Tuesday inaugurated a langar (free meal) service, named Rasoi 550, for friends and families of patients at the outpatient department (OPD) at Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel. The service was started by the Sri Guru Singh Sabha or Dadar Gurudwara, the apex body of the community in the city, ahead of the 550th year of Guru Nanak Gurpurab in November 12.

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“According to the teachings of Guru Nanak, we are required to serve society and feed the hungry. What better way to kick off the start of Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations than to cater to friends and families of cancer patients? There are thousands of them who come to Tata Memorial Hospital everyday,” said Manmohan Singh, general secretary of Sri Guru Singh Sabha.

Kulwant Singh, vice president of the Sabha, said that many patients and their relatives come from outside Mumbai and struggle to find reasonably-priced food in the city. “Patients are provided food by the hospital, but while their treatment is on, relatives cannot afford to spend on food,” said Kulwant.

Arvind Chauhan, a resident of Nallasopara, whose wife suffers from bone cancer, has been visiting the hospital for five years. “There is no one at home to prepare food for us. For the past five years, whenever I have come here, we have had to eat outside,” said Chauhan.

Currently, cancer patients and their family members, are accommodated in five gurudwaras across the city and provided four meals a day. The gurudwara at Dadar accommodates around 300 people.