Different pitch: Two friends bat for needy, form teams to beat hunger

NEW DELHI: Their love for cricket brought them together. And now they have turned into Good Samaritans for hundreds on the streets who have been battling hunger owing to the lockdown.
For the past one week, Tahseen Haider (38) and Anurag Kaushik (33) have been pooling in money and taking contributions from friends and family to give meals to the needy.
While Haider, who lives in Indirapuram and is currently working from home, has carefully marked his schedule to pack and deliver the food packets, Kaushik oversees the preparation.
Both then venture out on their motorcycle and car to a different area of east Delhi every day to distribute the food. They initially started out by feeding 100 people matar pulao, but are now distributing 200 meals daily. They soon plan to distribute masks too.
“No one should sleep hungry, especially in these trying times. We are just doing our bit with the help of our near and dear ones,” Haider said.
Kaushik, who owns a logistics business and lives in Mayur Vihar, is also involved in a similar initiative with his friends in west Delhi. “It costs us Rs 3,000-4,000 daily. My wife, in-laws and a couple of friends are also helping out. The food is cooked in a hotel and then packed at my home. We then load it in my car and distribute it in east Delhi,” he said.
To avoid getting in trouble with police, they duo has put up a sign of “langar sewa” on the car’s windshield. They also inform the SHO of the local police station to help them out.
Asked if they were scared of putting themselves and the people around them at risk of novel coronavirus infection, Haider said, “We take all precautions by using gloves, masks and sanitisers. We maintain social distancing as much as possible. I take off my clothes and take a bath immediately after reaching home.”
Initially, funds were an issue for them. “We could have sustained our endeavour for just 3-4 days. But now we have the support of many people and can continue even if the lockdown gets extended. If not physically, many are helping financially,” said Kaushik.
It all started when Haider went to an ATM to withdraw cash and saw a hungry kid crying and begging. He rushed home and asked his wife to prepare some food. “I wanted to do more and kept thinking about it. Later, Anurag called me saying that he was thinking about distributing food. We started in the next couple of days,” he said.
The two friends have fed the needy in Madhu Vihar, Mayur Vihar, near GTB Hospital, Karkardooma court and Laxmi Nagar. And support has been pouring in through Facebook and social media.