Pandemic unites people from across faiths during Ramzan

Jaideep Deogharia | TNN | May 1, 2020, 05:00 IST

Ranchi: Members of various communities have come together to help Muslims observe the holy month of Ramzan amid the lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Volunteers from across religions are helping Anjuman Islamia, a socio-religious body of Muslims, to ensure that no faithful goes to bed hungry as they fast during the day. The volunteers have pooled in resources and are distributing cooked meal for once a day to 3,000-odd families.
The focus of the outfit is on the Muslim-dominated Hindpiri locality, which has emerged as the hotspot of the infection.
Anjuman Islamia chairperson Ibrar Ahmad said they are distributing 3,000 packets of cooked meal along with some edibles for iftar — the customary meal while breaking fast in the evening — everyday. He said they also want to distribute essentials like fruits and bread, but are facing financial constraints.
“Providing bread to 3,000 families entails an expense of Rs 30,000 every day. Though we have money, we do not want to exhaust all of it as the supplies must continue through the month,” he said. However, once the essentials Anjuman Islamia started the drive from its kitchen near Main Road, help started pouring in.
Varsha Poddar, a student of the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), is the bridge between the outfit and the district administration. She is coordinating supply of rice from the administration to the community kitchen and is the pointsperson for volunteers distributing the meals. “If cooked food is not possible, we are providing the people with dry ration like chana (bengal gram),” she said.
Like Varsha, many other from the Hindu community are contributing to the effort. Ajay Shahdeo has given one LPG cylinder of the three being used in the kitchen. Deepak Ojha has been donating 3,000 sheets of aluminum foil to pack the food.
“There is this Ashok ji — I believe he is a state government employee — who supervises the cooking and packing process so that meals are dispatched on time,” Ahmad said, expressing happiness that Ramzan this year has become a month of harmony and cooperation. He said Smita Mutt, an employee with the deputy commissioner’s office, has been coordinating delivery of rice, gram and other essentials.
State minister for water supply and sanitation Mithilesh Thakur in his personal capacity has donated a few tins of cooking oil and seven quintals of bengal gram. “We are distributing 90kg of chana every day and we expect the stock to last at least a fortnight,” Ahmad said.
Anjuman Islamia has received donations from locals as well as those living in other cities. Ahmad said the outfit also has funds for treatment of poor and they are currently utilising these to distribute food to the needy.
Besides feeding rozedaars, the volunteers from Anjuam Kitchen are also feeding a few tribal families stranded in Hindpiri due to the lockdown. “These tribal labourers are from other districts and have been staying in Hindpiri’s Harijan basti. We are providing the same meals to them,” Ahmad said.