Something’s cooking in Amna Haneefa’s kitchen at Teen Murti Marg in Delhi. There’s more than what just whets your appetite. She single-handedly manages a large wok where an oh-so-yummy chicken biryani is getting ready. In a few minutes, her husband Haneefa would spread it evenly on to 30 food packets and rush to the starving souls in a nearby orphanage. If it was Amna in Delhi, it was Rahana Manaf and crew in Palakkad, Muhammadali Chakkoth and team in Dubai, and many of their kind engaged in the same task in different corners of the globe to fill many empty plates at least once a day.
Why make this a forum to discuss their stories? Because these people we are talking about have been members of the Facebook culinary community Malabar Adukkala? What makes their story worth? They are simply doing their part expressing support to the UAE Food Bank, announced barely a couple of weeks ago by Vice-President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to fill one of the basic needs of human beings — hunger. Since the news reached the ears of the food junkies of Malabar Adukkala, they didn’t have a second thought to drum up whatever they can and fill hungry stomachs on a common day the world over. The 200K-plus-strong Facebook group, 48 Malabar Adukkala WhatsApp groups and the 156 co-ordinators scattered throughout the world spearheaded the initiative simultaneously on Friday.
From Jeddah
The noble gesture of giving had created waves in all 14 districts of the state, Gulf countries, Texas, Turkey, Malaysia, Mumbai, Delhi, Ooty and Mangalore under the aegis of Malabar Addukala members. “In most places, our members themselves are cooking dishes for distribution. Only where there is a large group to be fed, they sought assistance from restaurants. Our people are there everywhere. By uniting for this cause, the larger mission is to show a Malayali model before the world. The group has been here for the past two-and-a-half-years. Since then, we had instances of many get-togethers through food fest, events, global meet and so on, though a mass initiative as this is a first. In each place, we have handpicked the areas populated by the poorest people and decided to serve them food once a day,” says Muhammadali Chakkoth, founder and chairman of Malabar Adukkala.
Members in labour camps, pain and palliative centres, orphanages, old age homes, cleaning staff, underprivileged in hospitals have all turned beneficiaries of this festival of giving. Rahana Manaf, the Palakkad squad leader had chosen an old-age home and orphanage in Palakkad. “We the recipe-putters have come together here to prepare food on the day. Coming together for an initiative as this is gratifying. We have readied food for 80 and equally distributed them to both centres. Beforehand, we asked them what they needed. The mothers in old age homes preferred sadya, and we planned accordingly. The children in orphanage had biryani. We were six members from Malabar Adukkala, who came forward to prepare the dishes” says Rahana. The municipal chairperson was invited to launch the Palakkad chapter’s distribution.
Haneefa and Amna with son Ashiq
Over to Amna’s cooking space: Packing son Ashiq to school, Ahmed Haneefa and wife walked straight away into the kitchen. Though she herself is a chicken biryani expert, cooking such a huge quantity was a challenge. When it meant to fill hungry stomachs one time a day, Haneefa’s family was arranging supper in addition to the mid-day meal. “At night, we aim to reach out to 500 people. That number can be satisfied only with the help of restaurants. There are four hotels in Jama Masjid where food is being served to the needy. Even if overseeing is my job, only if we start things early are we able to finish off before people start coming,” Haneefa busy winds up this call in order to serve yummy food on platters and spread many more smiling faces.
