Mahdi Bagh sticking together even during social distancing

Nagpur: When social distancing norms are going for a toss in many parts of the country, city’s Mahdi Bagh Colony is presenting an example of how to handle the lockdown together. Mahdi Bagh Youth Club (MBYC), formed in 2011-12 with an aim of personality development of youngsters, has made sure that residents don’t have to go out for essentials, and everything is available at their doorstep. Besides, they are taking utmost care of elderly people, who are dependent on domestic helps.
MBYC has shouldered the responsibility with aplomb and is helping residents with proper planning and equally good implementation. As soon as the lockdown started, MBYC president Monuddin Malak floated the idea of centralized purchasing of groceries, vegetables, fruits and other essentials, to avoid going out. “It took us about a week to sort out things, and finalize the vendors. Once it was done, all went off smoothly,” MBYC secretary Farooq Haque told TOI.
“Residents tell their requirements in our colony WhatsApp group. We then pass it on to vendors, who deliver all the stuff at our colony gate. Our volunteers then distribute the parcels after sanitizing them. A sanitizing tunnel has also been set up at the gate for outsiders, like plumbers and electricians, in case they are summoned in emergency,” Haque said.
The colony also has a community kitchen which serves meals to all elderly colony residents. “We have been maintaining it for some time now. The whole purpose is to help residents whose children live out of town, and they are living alone. We personally visit their homes as some of them don’t use WhatsApp. The food is delivered to them following social distancing norms,” he said.
Moiz Mannan Haque, head, department of mass communication, Nagpur University, who is also a resident here, said everyone prays at their home instead of congregational prayers during Ramzan. “Iftar has always been very simple for us. Simplicity is the core value of fasting. Even in community kitchen, we prepare simple food. The colony is like an extended family for everyone here, but we are strictly following social distancing norms,” Moiz said.
MBYC is also extending help to many needy persons outside. “There is an elderly agent who does RTO related work for us. We have helped him and many others. We have also provided food to Yashodhara Nagar police station under whose jurisdiction our colony is. Each one of us is also paying our domestic helps even though they aren’t coming,” Moiz said.