The nationwide lockdown scenario is making people stay indoors at all times, but the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) is lending a helping hand to those in need, in their full capacity. According to an IANS report, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi is preparing food for over 40,000 people across the Capital.
The in-charge of the langar, Harbir Singh, said, "We are providing food to over 40,000 people every day through our kitchen."?
The report further adds that 40 people prepare the food in the Gurudwara's mega kitchen every day and 20 others have the responsibility of distributing meals.
Harbir Singh also added that the kitchen in the Gurdudwara is making sure to follow all safety precautions while preparing the food. Social-distancing protocols are followed thoroughly and all the helpers in the kitchen are sanitising their hands properly and timely before entering the kitchen.?
The food preparation for the afternoon meals begins at 5:00 am and continues till 11:00 am; by 6:00 pm, the meals for dinner are also prepared. 20,000 meals are prepared for lunch and the same number for dinner.
According to the report, the meals include rice, bread, sabzi, dal and prasada.
Harbir further said, "The stock with us can easily feed people till the lockdown period. And, besides the ration available with us, we are also ensuring to procure more ration in case of requirement arises."
In the last 12 days, the Gurudwara has managed to serve food to over 4.5 lakh needy people, who are left with no other option during this tough time. Harbir also spoke about the use of an automatic bread machine which makes their work much more efficient. He said,?"The automatic machine available with us is capable of preparing bread from 1.5 quintal of wheat flour every hour, which minimises the number of people involved in preparing the bread."
The Gurudwara managed to serve between 60,000 and 1,00,000 meals every day before the lockdown, but now the number has gone down to 40,000 meals per day. Since social-distancing needs to be practiced, the number of helpers in the religious place have reduced but the community is doing their best with every possible resource.
The Sikh community has always helped those in need, never mind what religion, country or region. We bow down to their selfless contribution to ease the pain of those in need.