Fast and feast go hand in hand

The  venue looked like a “battleground” with some of the banners, disposable eating plates and litter scattered all over the  grounds partly covered with the tents.

A sea of humanity adorned by national flags, banners and   placards continued to throng the venue even on the eighth day of Anna Hazare’s fast. The upbeat mood remained unchanged in the ground-zero with a possible ceasefire coming their way.

Along with a perfect  “ideological” connect with the supporters, the practical side has not been left unattended by Anna team with food, water and health adequately taken care of in one side of the maidan. Anna ki Rasoi (Anna kitchen) are working round the clock to provide food along with the regular food for thought on Jan Lokpal bill. Philanthropists and do-gooders have joined hands to opening public kitchens to provide food to the supporters.

Break fast, lunch, dinner and tea in the night  are being served free of cost. People are also getting free fruit juices, biscuits to keep the protestors in good shape and momentum.

Aloo-puri, daal-chawal, roti-sabzi, rajma-chawal- number of food items are being served by several kitchens set up by public not only  from Delhi but as far as from Jalandhar and Ludhiana.

Till Sunday, there were only three food counters but on Monday onwards the number had multiplied . The food counters named as  ‘Anna ki Rasoi’  are claimed to be run with the help of donations from the  supporters.  Even outside the ground, food and water were aplenty, with truck-loads of people giving away water pouches and bananas free.
Rakesh Khanna, Secretary of Welcome Group, said they had been doing “social service for 14 years now. Welcome Group set up their kitchens and distributing Kadi-chawal, water and biscuits. We have prepared food for 50,000 people. Around 400 kg of “kadi” has been cooked to go with 600 kg of rice.’’ 

He even says cooks he engaged were not charging us anything because they also support the cause. Sai Rasoi is giving aloo-puri along with tea for the evening. “Around 100 kg of flour and 100 kg of potato would be used in the meal. We served daal-chawal in the morning,’’ said Hardayal Singh, a cook said while busy boiling potato.

People from Faridabad, Rajasthan, Uttarkhand, had also set up stalls and were serving food. Besides the ground tempos carrying bread pakoras, kachoris, samosas, aloo puris, paranthas, tea, biscuits and half a dozen varieties of namkeens were beeling to enter the grounds. Some volunteers were even seen cajoling people to have food, calling it ‘prasad.’