HYDERABAD: A waiting room in a private hospital was his classroom in compassion. It was there that Samuel Karan saw the hidden crisis: families financially broken by medical bills, quietly battling hunger just steps away from where their loved ones were healing. That painful contrast sparked a mission. And today, in a city bustling with life, the Clock Tower in Secunderabad has become more than a landmark of time — it stands as a beacon of humanity.
Since 2019, Karan has been serving free breakfast to 300–400 people daily at the Clock Tower. Many of them are families of patients who have travelled from villages or neighbouring states for treatment, unable to afford hotels after spending everything on medicines and hospital bills. “At a time when they are already distressed, hunger makes the struggle worse. I wanted to at least take that burden away,” he tells TNIE.
Through his NGO, FOOD (Feeding Orphans, Oppressed, Destitute), Karan not only serves food but also provides basic first aid and counselling for those under stress. Breakfast is cooked at his home and served between 7 and 8 am — a simple but wholesome spread of idli, upma, pongal and vada.
Karan traces the beginnings of his journey back to 2009. “It started with my wife Priya and me serving food at Gandhi Hospital. I had seen people enduring trauma and hardship, and felt the least I could do was ensure they didn’t go hungry. In 2019, we expanded it to the Clock Tower,” he recalls.
Today, his efforts have drawn in many like-minded volunteers who help keep the mission going. “If the stomach is full, the mind can think clearly and rest peacefully. That is what drives us every day,” says Karan.