KOCHI: Onam is all about spreading good cheer among the needy. And so is it about that sumptuous Onasadya. For a group of youngsters based in the city, the afternoons of Thiruvonam was not about sitting down with family and delighting on the grandiose spread of dishes. Rather, it was about distributing packets of love to the needy and homeless on the streets.
The grand Onam feast should not just be limited to the haves, rather it should reach the needy on the streets. And that was how the youngsters started packing Onasadya from their homes and distributing it to those in the streets. “There are many who cannot afford a day’s meal. And on Onam, no one should go hungry. That was how we started packing the Onasadya made in our homes and distributing it to the needy,” says Ananthakrishnan M S, co-founder of ‘Care Others Too’, which pioneered the initiative.
“This Onam we were worried if we could arrange enough Onasadya as most of the members were in relief camps volunteering. When we announced about this initiative, a lot of people came forward and helped us in arranging the sadya. While some shared Onasadya from their homes, some donated money to source it,” he adds.
A team of twenty like-minded individuals distributed the Onasadya packets. As many as 130 packets were distributed on Saturday. The areas covered include Thampanoor, East Fort, General Hospital and Government Medical College.
By two in the afternoon, the team had covered the major stretches in the city, ensuring that they had reached out to the needy, before heading home to tuck into the mandatory Onasadya. “This time, the number of people whom we found on the streets were less. So the extra packets were distributed to the needy in General Hospital and Medical College,” Ananthakrishnan added.