BENGALURU: This Shravana Maasa, a major wedding season, Nagendra who runs catering business, could have been raking in the moolah. But instead, he chose to put his men on the job of preparing jowar and wheat rotis which will be sent to the flood-affected areas in North Karnataka. With the help of donors and volunteers, Nagendra and his team are on a mission to prepare five lakh rotis.
A small under-construction shed at Ittamadu, which belongs to Nagendra, has been turned into a temporary kitchen for the task. The preparation of rotis started on Saturday and deliveries are expected continuously for the next 15 days. From Monday, the team will shift to JP Nagar where they have been offered a bigger space.
So what prompted the exercise? Pradeepa, a RJ, and some of his friends were discussing the prevailing flood situation when they realised rice and sambar is served at the relief centres.
“People in North Karnataka are not used to eating rice and sambar three times a day. Their staple food is jowar roti and vegetable curry. That’s when we realised we could chip in with the relief efforts and I spoke to Nagendra. We pooled in money and bought enough groceries to make 50,000 rotis,’’ Pradeepa said.
They are also sending chutney powder, thokku and pickles along with rotis.
“We have spoken to the Lorry Owners Association president Shanmugappa and they are helping us transport the food items to those places. When Chennai faced a similar situation some years ago, we had send rice, blankets and other essentials by lorries. Every night, the trucks will leave from Rajarajeshwari Nagar and reach the destination the next morning. We intend to do this for at least 15 days. For now, we are sending food to a college near Athani in Belagavi district where there are 15,000 people, who were evacuated from their villages, have been housed,” Pradeepa added.
Nagendra told The New Sunday Express, “We have planned to prepare five lakh wheat and jowar rotis and are working to make 50,000 rotis every day. We need 14,000 kg of flour and about 400 litres of oil. The rotis will stay fresh for at least four days.”
Nagendra has sought public help in procuring flour, oil and LPG cylinders.