With tiffin services shut in Pune, students, elderly look to social organisations to fulfil their meal needs

Deepa Patil who is residing in the city with her friend near Sadashiv peth in a rental flat, said,“At our flat here we just have a water flask and no amenities to cook food. We struggle to get meals from outside.”

 During the ongoing lockdown, students and senior citizens residing in the city are struggling to get their daily meals as they depend on meal/tiffin services.

A view of the closed mess in Sadashiv peth on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. (Sanket Wankhade/HT PHOTO)

Deepa Patil who is residing in the city with her friend near Sadashiv peth in a rental flat, said, “I am from Mumbai and currently staying with a friend who is from Solapur and we both are preparing for the MPSC exam. We did not go home as the exams were supposed to be held on April 5, 2020, but were later postponed.”

“At our flat here we just have a water flask and no amenities to cook food. We struggle to get meals from outside,” said Patil.

However, there are many social organisations and even individual volunteers who are coming forward to help those in need. Manas Pagar, along with his friend who runs a small café, said, “Four days back, I had 200 students lining up at the make shift room on Shastri road for meals, but since the curfew we have decided to limit these and serve the students through packed lunches and dinners.”

“There are around 4,000 to 5,000 students, bachelors stuck in the city and we are trying to find like-minded people who will cook in their respective areas and provide meals to them,” said Manas.

While in Kothrud, Anita Pimprikar is serving home cooked meals in tiffins which are carried by volunteers to senior citizens and to students stuck in hostels. “I had stopped tiffin supply due to the lockdown, but as many people especially elderly and students are struggling to get food I have started providing tiffins,” said Anita.