KOZHENCHERRY ; Amid the hustle-bustle of various contests and events of Noopura-2017, the MG University Youth festival under way at St Thomas College, Kozhencherry, there is a tea stall on the campus that is grabbing eyeballs, but not just for its menu.
Rather it is the motive of the students operating the ‘Kochaettente Chayakada’ that has become one of the talking points at the festival and has drawn people, especially ones with a caring heart, towards them.
Set up by two National Service Scheme (NSS) units of the college, the stall has two objectives. One, serve the guests coming to see the cultural spectacle. And two, help a poor family build a home!
Around 100 students from the two NSS units are managing the stall in front of the college auditorium, serving tea, coffee, juices, idli, chappathi, egg curry and whatnot. They said the profit from the stall would be used to construct a house for Reena, their compatriot and a native of Kurungumala.
“Business has been brisk in the three days since we started. We hope to collect enough money to build Reena’s house. We had already started the construction, but had to stop due to fund crunch. The youth festival came as a boon to us,” said the students.
“We decided to open the stall to raise money. We hope to complete the construction of the house from the profit we make here,” they added. Most of the items on the menu are made in a kitchen behind the stall, which closes only after all the events are done for the day. And despite their aim to make profit, the students have kept the prices of the items relatively cheaper.
“What the students are doing is really commendable. They serve delicious food with an aim to help a family in need,” said Sreejith, one of the festival’s visitors.