Man on a mission to end hunger
HYDERABAD: In a bid to ensure that no one dies of starvation, city-based hunger activist Syed Osman Azhar Maqsusi remains steadfast in his mission.
It has been over 10 years since this assiduous man decided to feed hungry people, within his capacities, without ever thinking of making a name for himself.
Encouraged by the words of his mother that getting blessings from the people was the biggest treasure in life, Azhar’s primary spot of ‘serving humanity’ remains under the busy Dabeerpura Railway bridge.
Barely a day has passed when he hasn’t fed the underprivileged ever since he began in 2011. “My father passed away when I was young and my mother struggled to feed us. She knows the pain and encouraged me to give to people while just hoping for their blessings in return. I was taught that even if you have the highest educational qualification and achieved great success in life, they are of no use if you don’t have the spirit of humanity,” he says.
Crucial family support
Azhar, who has appeared on TV shows hosted by Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan, received support from his family from the beginning and spent almost 70 per cent of his income in the endeavour for the initial three to four years. His wife always stood by him and helped by cooking the food, which was distributed later.
“I urge everyone to do their bit, as ‘hunger has no religion’. It’s all about our intentions and as part of our ‘Do Roti Campaign’, we ask people to take along two rotis while leaving from home. Giving away food will help in eradicating hunger. However, money falling into the hands of the youth may spoil them and could lead to vices,” he observes.
Through his NGO Sani Welfare Foundation and with the support of volunteers, the noble cause is now helping feed some 1,500 people daily across India. This includes locations like Gandhi Hospital and parts of Secunderabad, and places such as Bengaluru, Raichur in Karnataka, Gumla in Jharkhand, Cuttack in Odisha and Golpara in Assam.
“There is no bar on who can visit our camp. Anyone who feels hungry can satiate their appetite and we do not stop anyone, even if they are in an inebriated condition,” he maintains.
A hero during pandemic
Within years of beginning his journey, the city-based hunger activist began serving at Gandhi Hospital with the intention of offering free meals to attendants. Whatever was left would be distributed amongst the poor in nearby areas like Musheerabad and Bagh Lingampally. Within the city, he would serve 500 to 600 people on a daily basis.
Besides getting recognition within the country through various awards for his work, including the Real-Life Hero Award by RK Mutt in Hyderabad, Yudhvir Foundation Memorial Award, and the Covid Warrior Award from the Telangana government in 2021, Azhar was conferred the Commonwealth Points of Light award for his initiative ‘Hunger has no Religion’ from the British Government recently.
Despite the risks involved during the pandemic, he continued without any qualms. “We organised a camp near Ramoji Film City and some 1,500 to 2,000 migrant labourers were served at that spot beside other places within the city,” he recalls.