PUDUKKOTTAI: Bhagwan Tea Stall at Indira Nagar in Metupatti in the district was abuzz with activity on Sunday, particularly between 6 am and 6 pm, as a moi virundhu was held, and that too for a noble cause. Taking an all too familiar route to do his bit, this time to help Sri Lankans reeling under an economic crisis, S Sivakumar, through the moi virundhu, raised Rs 16,202 by selling tea.
“When I saw videos and read about how Sri Lankans are suffering, it affected me. They are finding it difficult to even eat one meal a day. Chief Minister MK Stalin had appealed to the people of TN to contribute towards the relief being sent to Sri Lanka. As I don’t have enough money to send, I thought of helping by organising a moi virundhu,” Sivakumar said.
Involved in philanthropic work since 2018, and having organised a similar moi virundhu last June to help Covid patients in Delhi, it was only natural for Sivakumar to take the ‘crowd-funding feast’ route again. Having a big steel vessel for a hundial, everyone who had tea at the 43-year-old’s shop on Sunday didn’t have to pay for it, but was rather encouraged to drop whatever amount they wished to into the ‘hundial’.
In order to ensure a good footfall at the moi virundhu, Sivakumar distributed pamphlets on the same and stuck posters at prime locations in advance. He had also informed his well-wishers and customers about the feast through social media.
While Sivakumar raised Rs 16,202 through the moi virundhu, he pointed out that there were some people who called him up and offered their apologies for their inability to attend. They have said that they would hand over the money on Monday, he added.
Sivakumar plans to hand over the money collected towards the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund to the District Collector on Tuesday.