Seva Kitchen dishes out Diwali de-light for have-nots, villagers

Nagpur: Diwali is round the corner and Seva Kitchen wants to make a difference in the lives of those facing bad times. Khushroo Poacha, the brain behind Seva Kitchen, is trying to bring a smile on their faces for this ‘festival de-light’.Khushroo, a railway employee, prefers to call himself a serial soulpreneur (social entrepreneur). “What do I do? I see people suffering and there is an innate urge that drives me to assuage their pain in whatever possible means,” he had told TOI during an earlier interaction. He makes optimum use of technology and social media platforms to get systems in place to help ensure happiness for people in pain or the social have-nots.

The Covid pandemic introduced Khushroo to many such despairing souls in need of immediate help. Kushroo is known for his kind-hearted and transparent approach, through indianblooddonors.com, Seva Kitchen, Daan Veer etc. These ventures of generosity have built a network of faithful, who extend help for his noble efforts.Seva Kitchen was born when Kushroo’s mother suggested he do something to help the poor. The idea of calling it Seva Kitchen came after some deliberations, drawing on the traditional value of selfless giving, a desire to serve or do Seva.Although it started off by making meals accessible to relatives of patients in hospitals, the term Seva Kitchen continues to cover a broader ambit of addressing hunger needs. Towards this guiding principle is the belief that every kitchen, in every town, village or city is a Seva Kitchen, the provider of succour to those who are hungry because every meal counts. Seva Kitchen now serves at 41 locations across India.Seva Kitchen does not have a bank account nor do they accept monetary donations. They only accept in kind. Seva Kitchen crowd sources material, food, milk, juice on milaap.org, where you donate as per your wish and the food or material is delivered to different hospitals where Seva Kitchen serves.Now, Seva Kitchen is trying to reach out and bring a smile on faces of those who may not be able celebrate one of India’s most-loved festivals of Diwali. Kushroo has set out to share sweets, savouries and blankets in villages of Melghat (in Amravati district) and Pandharkawda (in Yavatmal district) and Nagpur. Melghat is known for malnourished kids and Yavatmal district for farm distress.Khusroo has appealed to spread some happiness and good cheer, to help smiles grow because jobs were lost and income has been low. He says, “You can help by donating a ‘box of kindness’ (comprising sweets and farsan – a combination to celebrate this very special festival to innumerable Indians), which costs as little as ₹208.”“It’s Seva Kitchen’s idea of spreading goodness and bringing some joy to the people in villages especially,” he adds. He can be contacted on 9561011264 for more details.