It is great to be doing this kind of a service and is even greater to know that people have started realizing the value of it. Hearty wishes to Vithur and company for doing their bit.
Ganpy. --- In arrahmanfans@yahoogroups.com, Gopal Srinivasan <catchg...@...> wrote: > > > In their maestro'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...@... > > > > > GIVING BACK: The fan club before heading out to feed the poor >
