In their maestroÂ’s FOOTSTEPS
This group of AR Rahman fans feeds the poor every Sunday Lakshmi Kumaraswami | TNN For the past one year, a group of people on motorbikes have been congregating at Kodambakkam every Sunday. Laden with food packets, they hop off their bikes and distribute it to anyone who looks like they need a meal — rag pickers, sewage workers and beggars. These good Samaritans have one thing in common: they are all diehard fans of music maestro AR Rahman. Last March, after meeting on an online group, some of the members — Vithur, Uma Shankar, Rakesh, Rasol Hanifaa and Somu — decided to do their bit for society. “Usually, we post a message on the site saying we’re going to meet and distribute food to the poor. Subsequently, many people turn up,” says Vithur. The group assembles at Shri Mahaganapathy fast foods in Kodambakkam and buys packed food — usually tomato or brinjal rice along with an appalam — for Rs 300 to Rs 500. Then they drive around the area, handing out food to the underprivileged. “We initially started out in Annanagar, but then decided to focus on Kodambakkam. As Rahman lives in the area, we feel like we’re doing a service and staying close to our mentor,” says Uma Shankar. Vithur adds that the students of KM Conservatory also often help out and they end up feeding at least 40 people. The group is united by their love for Rahman and inspired by the AR Rahman Fo u n d at i o n , which works towards eradicating poverty and hunger. “His humility pushes us to do something good for society. This is our small contribution to a cause he supports,” says Rakesh. On special days like Independence Day or Rahman’s birthday, the group visits orphanages and distributes a special meal. They organised a similar meal on Rahman’s return to the city after his triumphant run at the Oscars. “Usually, when we distribute food, we don’t mention Rahman’s name. But this time as we gave away special sweets and food, we said ‘Ellam pugazhum irraivanake’ as a tribute to him,” says Vithur. He adds that the BlaaZe joined the group when they distributed free meals after H Sridhar, Rahman’s sound engineer, passed away. The group plans to continue this service as long as possible. “We would like to expand but with our hectic schedules this is the only way we can do it regularly,” says Uma Shankar. Rakesh adds that there isn’t a better feeling than seeing the happiness of the people they feed. “It would probably be their only meal that day. Sometimes I leave the packets by their side while they are asleep and when they wake up, nothing can match the look on their faces,” he says. lakshmi.kumarasw...@timesgroup.com GIVING BACK: The fan club before heading out to feed the poor
