The story was first reported by Deccan Chronicle, Source : ThemeDots.com
“(The righteous are those) who feed the poor, the orphan and the captive for the love of God, saying: ‘We feed you for the sake of God Alone; we seek from you neither reward nor thanks.'” – The Holy Quran, 76:8-9
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Feed the hungry, visit the sick and set free the captives.” – Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 552
Every day a large number of homeless, poor people who cannot afford a decent meal, line up in neat rows under the Dabeerpura bridge in Hyderabad. Every man, woman, and child wait for their turn to pick up a plate, washes it and sits down in formations.
Many of them have not eaten for days, but they still wait their turn.
If we talk about the menu of the meal, let me tell you- Rice is served on each plate followed by daal and Khichdi. This has been going on for more than three years, with one man sincerely running from end to end serving the food.
Empty spaces under flyovers are usually used by private buses or trucks for parking, however, AzharMaqsusi decided to make use of one such space to feed the poor. Seeing that a large number of poor and destitute in and around the Malakpet station and Chanchalguda were going hungry every day, Mr. Azhar Maqsusi from the old City, has launched a daily free-food camp under the Chanchalguda flyover.
How it Started
This program was launched by him around three years ago when he saw a physically handicapped woman, Ms. Lakshmi, begging near the railway station. Since then he has been feeding the poor without fail, every single day.
“My father died when I was four years old and my mother struggled a lot to raise me and my siblings. I know what it is like to sleep hungry.” He says. Azhar immediately gave away the food he was carrying home to the lady. The next day Azhar’s wife, who he seemingly adores and admires, cooked food for around 15 people. He went to the same place and distributed the food.
As the days grew, the number of people piled up and he started cooking under the bridge.
Do You Take Donations?
Azhar refuses the donations which are given in money. “A lot of friends have joined in and I have got a lot of support, but I turn down all the offers that I get in cash. I only take kind. The reason I post pictures on Facebook is not so people donate but to create awareness that so many people sleep hungry in a city every day.” He adds.
What Azhar did not realize was that there were more mouths that needed to be fed than he could afford to. “I have a Plaster of Paris interior design business and we live a very simple life, so we could afford to give, but the numbers kept piling up.” He adds.
In two months, there were at least 50 people every day waiting for Azhar. It was then he decided to hire a cook who is paid a fixed salary every month to start cooking in larger quantities.
How much does it cost?
Per day nearly 25 Kgs of rice, 2 Kgs of pulses and 1 liter of Oil and spices will be required. This will nearly cost around 1500-1700 per day including the remuneration of the cook. Azhar has no plans of stopping. If you want to contact him to support him in his activity you can contact him through his Facebook or you can visit him at the bridge.
Connect with Azhar Maqsusi on Facebook
