A motley group of skilled workers serves Jeevan Bhima Nagar, a gated community, for more than a decade. Their service has never been more appreciated than during the pandemic. For the last six months, residents of this gated community in Mogappair have been repaying what they see as a debt of gratitude to around 60 skilled workers, by serving them lunch.
Households take turns to make lunch for this team which includes electricians, plumbers, pump operators, security personnel, ironwallahs and sanitation workers.
Until the end of July, when the lockdown was intense, they offered lunch to support these staff every day. From the month of September, when lockdown restrictions have been significantly eased, residents offer food on select days, announcing them well in advance.
Besides, the community also regularly treats Corporation staff, Tangedco workers and Chennai Metrowater employees to a home-cooked lunch.
“Our support staff came to us for help as they were unable to find food during the initial days of lockdown as all eateries were closed. We knew giving them money would not help them, and so, started cooking lunch for them,” says 57-year-old T.V. Radhakrishnan, secretary, Jeevan Bhima Nagar Residents Welfare Association.
In the initial days of the lockdown, only a small group of families extended their cooking skills and financial resources to the initiative. The volunteer-families would share the work. As the initiative continued, more families joined in, with each choosing how to contribute to it. Some residents provided grocery items; some others sponsored the entire lunch for a day or a week and some others contributed money.
“During the intense lockdown, we never failed to provide lunch for our workers every day. Despite the challenges, our staff were prompt in reporting for work every day, including Sunday, and we wanted to acknowledge this commitment in a tangible manner,” says S. Padmanaban, president of the association.
Set on 13-acres of land on Ambattur Industrial Estate Main Road in Mogappair, the gated community was developed mainly for the policy holders of Jeevan Bhima scheme of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in 1995.
The community has 59 blocks, each consisting of 16 houses. The gated community, the biggest in Anna Nagar, has a community hall, an indoor stadium (where around 4,000 persons can be accommodated), a library, a children's play area, a walkers' track and a badminton court. The gated community is watched over by 40 CCTV cameras with 18 security persons working in different shifts.
Apart from providing food to their support staff and frontline workers, residents have also chipped in with dry rations worth ₹ 3,000 for each of the 60 workers and also frontline staff of government agencies.
Residents have also provided free safety kits including face masks, hand gloves and hand sanitisers to all their workers and frontline staff.