Dal, rice, veg and rotis: Andheri gurudwara delivers free daily meals

Working two shifts daily, the one thing Susheel Singh waits for is the food that is delivered to him twice a day. Since the lockdown, Singh, a watchman at a society

Working two shifts daily, the one thing Susheel Singh waits for is the food that is delivered to him twice a day. Since the lockdown, Singh, a watchman at a society in Seven Bungalows, and others working in societies in and around the area, receive meals from the local gurudwara. Volunteers drive around distributing rotis, dal, and rice to whoever is hungry.

Since March 22, Gurudwara Sachkhand Darbar started cooking meals for those in need.

“Food is prepared since 5am and volunteers work in shifts to help in packaging and delivery. Tea is served at the gate of our gurudwara twice a day. Everyone is invited to take food,” said Devinder Singh Kochhar, president of Gurudwara Sachkhand Darbar.

The gurudwara was known for its langar (kitchen) that feeds 2,000 people on average, even before the lockdown was implemented. Since March 22, the management started cooking and serving meals to anyone in need of food twice a day.

The gurudwara currently manages to produce over 7,500 rotis and 150kg of rice and dal for every meal.

In the evening, another 300kg of vegetables are cooked and served.

Recently, the management also started delivering meals to residents stuck at home, either due to their age or health concerns.

“Several people who live alone and are old do not step out of the house to buy groceries for fear of contracting the virus. Some people have lost their jobs and can’t afford food anymore. Earlier this month, we decided to start delivering meals to such people at their doorsteps twice a day to ensure no one goes hungry,” said Kochhar.

However, they faced a couple of challenges along the way. Volunteers said they faced difficulty travelling to and from the gurudwara, and there were constant orders by the police to stop gathering to cook food.

“For some time, we ended up cooking food in another area and then delivering it. Even when we had to shut the gurudwara gate, volunteers who stayed back managed to cook as much as possible,” said a volunteer.

As the need for food kept increasing, so did donations. “Oer the past few weeks, local hoteliers have also helped us by sending their staff to cook more food. All this work is possible only because our donors and volunteers never give up, and our management is always on our side,” said Kochhar.