Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (JD)
Mangaluru, Dec 6: Life has become difficult for the daily wage labourers after the demonetisation of notes was announced. On one side there is an issue to get the exact change, while on the other, the labourers are denied labour due to the unavailability of the apt currency notes. In this prevailing situation, an owner of a cyber cafe in the city has kept open a refrigerator with free food outside his cafe for the public who are in need of it.
Arafat Ameen is this benevolent man who has shown to the world that kindness has no religion and no limits.
Arafat owns a chain of cyber cafes under the name Kohinoor Computer Zone near KMC Hospital at Jyoti Circle in city He says that this noble idea flashed through his mind when he was helping a school child with his project on the theme of wastage of a large amount of food across the globe. "I thought the amount of food getting wasted is proportional to a large number of people who starve on a daily basis. We cannot go searching for the poor, and I felt through this means, I can reach the poor and the ones going to bed on an empty stomach,” he says.
"Although I had this idea in mind three years ago, I implemented it three months back and brought the refrigerator. But due to certain issues and demonetisation, I had to postpone it. And on December 2, I started its implementation in full-swing," Arafat adds.
When asked about the variety of food items kept for public and about the response to the initiative, he says “On Sunday December 4, I had placed a special dish of chicken in the refrigerator at 4 pm and by 5.30 pm it was empty. A few people bring soft drink packets, and few keep eatables including bread. This morning, a person had kept a few kilos of a variety of fruits, and by evening it was empty. I feel it reaches the needy.”
Moreover, Arafat plans to extend this idea to two more cafes which are located in Bendoorwell and Hampanakatta. "I will monitor the refrigerator for a month, and if I feel it is being misused during the night, I will keep it locked then. Presently it is a 24X7 service. And I do not want people to grab the food meant for the needy and deprive them of it,” he says.
When asked if any organisations rendered their support for this noble cause, he says few people called him up and appreciated the effort. But apart from that, there had been not much help but for a few, who drop few packets of eatables.
Arafat says that anyone can contribute to the cause by providing whatever food items they have.