Srinagar, Aug 13: Providing morning tea and lunch to some three hundred people, and afternoon tea to 900 couldn’t be that easy for a relief committee. But this has been a routine for the volunteers of Syed Karam Shah Sahib (RA) Masjid, Karan Nagar, who provide relief to attendants and patients at neighbouring SMHS hospital.
The volunteers get the refreshments and food prepared at a makeshift Langer near the Gole Market Masjid and ferry it on handcart to the hospital for distribution. Thursday was their 50th day of providing relief to the needy attendants and patients.
Referring to the start of the turmoil, when the city teenager Tufail Ahmed Matoo was killed, the volunteers said: “For the first few days we only came across some exceptional cases facing hardships but then the things started to change and we had to decide for large scale relief measures.”
The locals under the banner of Masjid Intizamiya volunteered to start the relief work while the Masjid Baitulmaal has been providing the funds.
The locals hired a group of traditional cooks - Wazas - who have been preparing the tea and meals while the rest of the work is done by the locals.
“We aren’t doing it for any appreciation or any kind of politics nor are we affiliated to any party. We take it as a duty towards neighbours as Islam has made it obligatory on us,” said a businessman volunteer.
The volunteers said the funds could have been a problem had the Baitulmaal not been there.
“There was some money with the Baitulmaal but before that would exhaust the locals came up with more of relief in cash and kind,” added an elderly volunteer as he and some others picked up the rice Deigh to place it on the handcart.
The locals drive the handcart to the causality side of the hospital.
The moment the cart is parked, one sees a beeline of people, mostly attendants waiting for the lunch. Thanks to a dozen odd volunteers who make the distribution fast.
Meanwhile, an auto rickshaw driver requests for a rice plate pleading he couldn’t go home due to curfew en-route.
“Don’t worry the food is available for everybody who needs it,” replies a local.
Besides, the relief committee has funded some needy to get medicines or even their transportation fares back home.
Others, mostly non-locals living in the area were given food grains and other relief by the Masjid Committee.
But this was till Wednesday. With the onset of Ramadan Thursday, the Karan Nagar committee has come up with a special relief for the people at SMHS. The Iftaar is provided in packets having separate boxes of rice and cooked vegetables. Some dates are also kept there.
“As for Sehri, we provide a similar separate box,” the committee members said.
But nobody wants to take the credit of even speaking to media.
“If you want to mention our names then write them in generality viz Masjid Imam Moulana Muhammad Yasin, Ghlam Qadir Batloo, Mukhtar Ahmed Sidiqui, Syed Nasir Khan, Ghulam Mohi Din Beigh, Ghulam Rasool Baba, MA Baba, Bashir Ahmed Tiploo, Ali Muhammad and Farooq Ahmed,” they say while preparing the Iftaar packets at the makeshift Langer.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST