In Nepal and India, it started to fall together. Even though it is loose there now, the tension is getting longer in Nepal. Millions of people in India, like in Nepal, walked home as the woodwork was implemented without giving the general public any time to prepare. Many of them were Nepalis who are still scattering at the border.
People walked hundreds of kilometers from Ludhiana to Bihar, from Gurgaon to Gorakhpur, from Mumbai to Ratnagiri, from Chandigarh to Moradabad, from Jhansi to South Delhi. The Guardian magazine has written that the scene of the movement was not different from that of the Indo-Pakistani partition. We saw in the news how many starved to death during the journey, how many were traumatized by the train.
In the midst of all this, the state of Kerala in India, from where the corona virus started its journey to India, did not have much repercussions. Stay where you are. The number of deaths due to Kavid infection in Nepal is 9 so far. People like Surya Bahadur Tamang, who was found dead in the streets of Kirtipur, and Mallar Sada, who died on the way to Saptari, have died of starvation. In India, Kerala is considered exemplary and attractive in every way. People from all over come here for employment. It is equally popular for Ayurvedic treatment and walking.
At some point our Professor K. We were amazed when Nagraj himself, who is Mallu (Kerala, Malayalam word for love), taught about Kerala. Kerala is ahead in all good things! Kerala has surpassed other Indian states in most indicators of development such as education, health, women's rights, sanitation and independence. We had arrived in Kerala last December, fearing that Sir would give a little talk as he was a Mallu. It seemed better than Sir said.
Understanding the background of Kerala, there is no question as to why the corona virus did not grow in this place. It is not possible to say exactly how to imitate the method adopted by it because the structure, culture and environment of Kerala is different from others. Here, I do not want to tell you what Kerala is doing and how the corona virus epidemic is unfolding. However, I would like to inform you how it has not allowed more than 35 million people to go hungry than Nepal.
During the lockdown, Kerala intensified corona testing and contact tracing and prioritized famine prevention. The 'Hunger Free Kerala Campaign' is still in operation. For this, the local government had expanded the 'Janata Kitchen' program. This program is not new in itself or original program of Kerala. In many cities of the world, 'community kitchens', 'soup kitchens', 'community canteens' or 'food banks' are in operation.
In such canteens nutritious and healthy food is available at reasonable prices or for free. They can be run and managed by religious organizations (gurdwaras, churches), social engineers, local governments, women's groups and anyone else. In Kerala, a women's group called Kudumbashree runs 'Janata Kitchen'. I saw in Chennai that only vegetarian food is available in 'Amma Canteen' in Tamil Nadu. Indira Canteen in Karnataka, Janata Ahar in Delhi and Dal-Bhat Kendra in Odisha are in operation.
These canteens, which are opened for the purpose of social service, are supported by the local government by giving discounts on the purchase of ration water or in some other way. Community canteens in various cities across the country, including the United Kingdom, Brazil, the United States, Hungary, Argentina, and Russia, are feeding those affected by the corona virus epidemic. Guru Ramdas Langar Hall (Goldet Temple), India's largest community kitchen in the world, is still serving food to the hungry as usual.
With the implementation of Lakdaun in Kerala, the local government was ready to cooperate more with Kudumbashree. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced the establishment of an additional 1,000 community canteens in Kerala with the slogan 'No one should go hungry'. Of these, 853 have already been established, according to the Kerala government's website on corona. Already 1255 were in operation. The public canteen distributes free food to the poor, laborers, the disabled, migrant workers, the homeless, the disabled, and squatters. Those who can afford it also buy it and eat it.
According to the Kerala government's website, from March 30 to May 17, more than 8.6 million people have been served morning and evening meals through community canteens. Of these, 7.5 million meals are free and most are home delivery, according to the website. If someone calls and asks for food, the canteen volunteer delivers it to their residence, which is also free. Those who come to the canteen are given food and food packets.
The operation of the canteen is funded through sponsorship, donations and local development funds. Individuals and organizations can also volunteer. In view of the epidemic, the Kerala government has asked Kudambashree members and other volunteers to be more vigilant, make masks and gloves mandatory, and cook in a healthy manner. As per the government's directive, green vegetables should be mandatory in the diet. Volunteers have been deployed for food distribution. Helpline numbers have also been set up so that no one is left behind.
According to the New York Times, corona will cause more than 26.5 million people worldwide to starve by the end of this year. However, if other cities like Kerala run a campaign to prevent anyone from going hungry, that number could be reduced. Ironically, in some countries with community canteens and other cities in India, people are starving. Therefore, having a canteen does not mean that one is not hungry. We don't even have such canteens!
A Swiss organization Rokpa Network has been operating a soup kitchen in Kathmandu, according to its website. From December to early March, local cooks and staff feed 600 street children and the homeless with breakfast, pulses, potatoes, vegetables and rice. Nepallink of the earthquake has set up community kitchens in Kathmandu and Gorkha in collaboration with V-Help Nepal and has posted pictures of food distribution on its website. These do not seem to be in operation now.
Anchorage service is available at Kupandol Gurdwara every weekend. Even during the earthquake, this group of Sikhs operated a community canteen. In Thamel, a restaurant owner had distributed biryani for free. Besides, we have no other mechanism to feed the hungry. Now, some of the reluctant people have been distributing free food during the lockdown. According to the news published in Manlagbar Kantipur, some reluctants have been distributing food to the hungry every day in front of the open stage and Tilganga Eye Hospital.
This corona epidemic is teaching us a lot. Our shortcomings and weaknesses are being pointed out. Community canteen is also a shortcoming. Such restaurants are needed not only in times of crisis but also at other times. He can feed the poorest of the city for free, and he can sell cheap food to the lower classes. If run properly, the community canteen has many benefits.
When we visited Amma Canteen in Tambaram, Chennai, we saw people of different castes, religious communities, age groups and professions sitting in one place and eating idli, sambar, pongal and kurma. It helps to make society more tolerant. Since most of the canteens are run by women's groups, Amma Canteen has also made a great contribution to the economic development of women.
Amma Canteen was started in Tamil Nadu on the initiative of the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. In our case too, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City can show awareness for this. The Prime Minister is saying that no one will go hungry, no one will die of hunger, but what is the mechanism for that?
At such a time, if the mayor of Kathmandu, who is still known as Salo of his party, starts a people's canteen and makes his 'nephew's' word meaningful, then the finger would be pointed at him from time to time.
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