Tamil Nadu: Food, water distributed with love

CHENNAI: Muthu Tiffin Centre on Velachery 100 feet road might look like an ordinary place to dine at, but for the past two days its owner, Muthu, has been feeding a thousand people three times a day at the Marina. It is not as a mark of diffidence to support the jallikattu protests but because he has been cooking only to provide food for the protestors at various locations in Chennai.

Providing the supplies is a group of IT professionals, who are having the food prepared distributed in packets to those protesting at Marina Beach, and in areas like OMR and Chromepet. “We distributed tea and breakfast in the morning, and are now going to distribute dinner,” said a volunteer, Malesh Kumarapillai, adding that the group had roped in auto drivers to help distribute the food.

G. Jeeva, another volunteer, said: “We provided the raw materials to Muthu and he has closed the shop to prepare food to be distributed among the protestors. Initially, when we were distributing food at Marina, a number of visitors were eating it instead of the protestors. Now, we have scheduled the distribution such that food reaches those it is intended for.” Strengthening the spirit are activists like Abdul Ghani K, who along with his volunteer group, is distributing food and also ensuring that the Marina beach, which is strewn with litter after protests, are cleaned by the end of the day.

Sheikh Shahul Hameed, proprietor of Dimoraa food chain in Alandur, has been supplying food for protestors for the past two days. “Tomorrow, most hotels will be closed in support for Jallikattu but I will keep my unit open to make food for the protestors,” he told DC. Office-goers are also not giving a thought before missing office to volunteer at Marina beach. “Along with my six friends, I distributed breakfast and lunch today and we are now proceeding to distribute dinner,” said Pavendran P.

Chennaiites living in other cities, like Coimbatore, though are missing the spirit prevalent in Chennai, are doing their bit. “I saw the magnitude of protests in Chennai on TV. As I went out to protest at the VOC Park nearby, my friends and I saw the need to give food to protestors. So, we have been buying and distributing food packets,” said an IT professional from Coimbatore.

Supporting college students protesting on the busy OMR are colleges like St Joseph’s, which has been providing food to these students. “We have supplied over 10,000 food packets, water and medical facilities to students from various colleges participating in the protest outside our campus,” said a spokesperson from St Joseph’s.