Students turn saviours for the needy, distribute food packets
LUCKNOW: Adarsh Kumar, a final year law student, has been following a particular routine since March-end. Every day, he prepares lunch packets and distributes these among daily wagers, rickshaw pullers and others who are unable to make ends meet amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Kumar, a resident of Daliganj, is among the many students in the city who make food packets, collect other essential items and distribute these among the needy.
“I go to different localities on my bike to distribute food. During the lockdown, I distributed packets every day. Now, I do so on the weekend when restrictions are in place and on other days I distribute dry rations,” said Kumar.
Similarly, a group of students from Lucknow University visits slums in the city to distribute foods and provide other assistance to the people living there.
Durgesh Tripathi, who passed out of LU last year, said: “We have formed a group of students from various colleges who volunteer to help in slums. Earlier, everyone was a bit reluctant due to the stigma attached with Covid, but now students come out to help.”
The group also distributes masks, sanitisers and organises cleanliness drives in the slums.
In Mohanlalganj area, a group of seven engineering students arrange food for around 300 people every day.
Sudhir Vasishth, a final year M Tech student who is part of the group, said: “We started by distributing dry rations in May, but had to shelve the idea because we didn’t have enough space to gather and package dry rations. A cook, who lost his job due to pandemic, approached us and offered to cook food for us. So, we started distributing cooked food.”Two other groups of students also distribute food at bus stops and crossings in Charbagh Alambagh and Qaiserbagh.
While most of these groups sustain on contributions by friends and relatives, some are receiving donations from other parts of the country and abroad.