In words of Abhishek Kumar, president of NEFOWA, the inspiration had come after observing one such practice in Noida – 'Dadi ki Rasoi' – which made the group to do something and to deliver food to the needy people.
No matter how much practical this world has become, there are always some people who come up with something or the other for selfless service to the needy. It takes a heart to see a genuine problem and a burning desire to address it.
The area of Greater Noida West was still developing in 2018 and people with hopes to find their dream abode used to flock to the location. While doing so, they used to find it difficult to find good food at affordable rates. It is no secret that it was also a taxing task for the people to move from a location to the other in search of their dream abode. To satiate their appetite, they were in dire need of a good place.
Some empaths from Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (NEFOWA) identified this problem and started mulling for ways to address the issue. Prominent members such as – Abhishek Kumar, Manish Kumar, Sameer Bhardwaj and Vijay Srivastava – started brainstorming on how to provide food to them.
In words of Abhishek Kumar, president of NEFOWA, the inspiration had come after observing one such practice in Noida – “Dadi ki Rasoi” – which made the group to do something and to deliver food to the needy people.
They found that concept as the answer to their problem. They went to that joint to understand their modus operandi. During talks with the people who run it, they were also offered franchise of the joint.
But, as they wanted to genuinely help the people, they decided to keep control of their brainchild in their own hands. Finally, they launched “Janta Ki Thali” in May 2018. They started offering good foods like – Chhole Chawal and Rajma Chawal – at only Rs 5 on Sundays.
“As the NEFOWA were staging protest on every weekend to raise their voice against the builders as well as the government’s failure to deliver flats, many people used to visit here in search of flats. As many of us used to come from different locations, and we realised that people face tough time, we decided to provide hygienic food at affordable rates,” said Kumar.
Initially, they thought to provide food free of cost with the help of more people to volunteer for this noble cause. But, they came to a conclusion that it might not be very good idea as most of people hesitate to get food free of cost.
“Our plan was to provide free of cost food but realised that many people would not like to have free food. Therefore, we fixed a rate of Rs 5,” he added.
As the idea catered to the absolute need of the people, it became instant hit. Enthused with the response, they started putting their heart and soul into its operations. Now, as they celebrated the first anniversary of the joint on May 20 this year, they proudly said that they have been providing food regularly and not even missed a single Sunday in last one year.
Sumit Saxena, another member said, “Since the day we have started it, we have not missed a single Sunday. It got success because of the support from the people living in the area. They have been dedicatedly supporting the cause. When there was no place to cook food, I used my flat for that purpose.”
Seeing its progress and intention to serve to the people, many different people also started volunteering to the operations of the joint. People also contribute food from their side to the joint all free of cost. The joint is now a big success story and people are benefitting a lot out of it.
Sharing his happiness after one year of successful operation without missing any Sunday, Manish Kumar said, “It was a collective efforts of many residents. Each one took over different responsibilities. Now after one year, this initiative has got much appreciation from the people living here in high rises. They have started contributing. Many residents have started sharing foods whenever they celebrate special occasions like birthdays or marriage anniversaries.”
