Public Langar provides dinner to 500 people every day
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Aug 29: Humanity is still alive and such a belief is reinforced by an initiative taken by few families who have come together to provide attendants and patients dinner at the end of every tiring day at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura.
Within the compound of the Accident and Emergency section of the hospital, people gather at around 7 in the evening and wait for dinner to be served by 4-5 men who come to the hospital from Lal Bazar area on daily basis with a truckload of meals. The Langer remains open till 10 in the night.
The initiative was taken by few families soon after the restrictions were imposed on August 5 across the Valley and since then there is no stopping them from serving people who come from different parts of the Valley to the premier healthcare institute of J&K.
“It is our responsibility to take care of our people, especially those who come from far flung areas of the Valley to the hospital during the times that are challenging and dangerous,” said one of the organizers of the Langar who wished not to be named.
On an average, the Langer is proving meals to more than 500 people in the hospital which includes patients, attendants or anyone who has nowhere to go for the want of meals.
“There are people who come along with their patients and have run out of money; patients do get some meals from the hospital, but their attendants do not. We are trying to help such people; we do not stop anyone, we provide the meals to everyone who comes to us,” he said.
The organizers are not accepting contributions from anyone else and if anyone has expressed his or her willingness to contribute for the cause, they have categorically refused.
“Five families from one area have come together and we will continue to do it on our own until we feel that we cannot do it anymore; let someone else take it from us from there, as of now, we are not accepting contributions from anyone; people do approach us, but we tell them that they can help those in need on individual levels,” another organizer, while serving dinner to an aged woman, said.
In the beeline around the Langar, people can be seen waiting to be served with meals every evening. Among them is Abdul Qayoom who hails from district Baramulla. He had come to the hospital few days after August 5. “My wife is admitted here for last more than 15 days now, while he is getting meals from the hospital, I used to have something outside. Now that everything is shut, these noble souls have come to the rescue of so many people like me,” he said.
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