Kerala village lost in time serves 'free lunch of love' to eradicate hunger

Thiruvananthapuram: When Malayalam filmmaker Rosshan Andrrews was searching for a place with authentic monochrome old-world feel for 'Dulquer Salman'-starrer 'Salute', it was Kottampally, nearly 20 km south of Thiruvananthapuram city, he chose. The only hint of modernity in the village is a neat straight road.

But Kottampally, seemingly bypassed by both time and prosperity, is now a laboratory for a spirited experiment in hunger-eradication. The hamlet in Maranalloor panchayat, where 103 of the 64,000-odd 'extremely poor' households in Kerala can be found, has launched the 'Sneha Oonu' (Lunch of Love) project on July 10.

'Sneha Oonu'
Placed right in front of the village bus shelter is a hip-high shelf, about two metres wide; its back side facing the road and the hollow side opening into the bus shelter.

On the road-facing side, on a red background is written in white, in filmstyle bold: 'Sneha Oonu'.

Around 12.30pm on Sunday (July 16), the top of the shelf was empty. Some elderly men were seen near the bus shelter.

A frail 90-year-old woman, Kalyani, sat near the shelf. An autorickshaw driver told her lunch will be served soon. She doesn't seem to listen. "She is very poor and slightly out of her mind," the auto driver said.

Two elderly women with walking sticks were tottering towards the bus shelter from either side. They were also assured that food will soon arrive.

It was around 1pm when ward member Suresh Kottampally, who is also Maranalloor panchayat president, arrived in his two-wheeler with a friend. They had three plastic bags with them. They came over to the shelter, took out lunch parcels and arranged them on top of the shelf. There were 24 food parcels (pothichoru), and they were swiftly taken, all by elderly men and women.

Kalyani special
Just when the lunch packets arrived, 90-year-old Kalyani had stood up and walked away as if in protest. Kalyani crossed the road and squatted in front of a closed shop bang opposite the shelter."She won't take it on her own. She prefers others to give it to her," an auto-rickshaw driver said.

The panchayat president himself walked over to her. She held out her right hand and accepted the 'pothichoru' with a smile. Kalyani is the only person who is served a parcel. Otherwise, the packets will be left on top of the shelf and whoever requires one will have to pick it up.

"We began this 'Sneha Oonu' project because we felt that there are many more in this ward who are not eating a complete meal at least once a day," Suresh said. "I don't know whether you have noticed. We don't have hotels here," he added.

How to grow food parcels
The food packets are coming mostly from the homes of Kudumbashree women. There are 24 Kudumbashree units in Kottampally, each having an average of 25 members. One unit is assigned the responsibility of preparing the packets one day a month.

It is not just Kudumbashree units. Political parties in the area have also agreed to be part of the experiment. So every month, a day's lunch will be the responsibility of a party: CPM/CPI/Congress/BJP.

Then there are youth clubs and activity groups. There is also an MGNREGA group whose members are not part of any Kudumbashree unit. "When we listed the volunteer groups, they add up to 32. Meaning we have volunteers to provide 20-25 lunch packets daily for more than a month," Suresh, Maranalloor's CPM panchayat president, said.

He and his team have already intimated the groups that have to provide the food for the next five days.

"Since most of these Kudumbashree units have more than 25 members, it will be easy for them to come up with 25 or even 30 lunch packets a day. Each member will have to add only a negligible quantity of rice or vegetables or even meat while cooking, that too only once a month, to come up with an extra plate," Suresh said.

Once a group has delivered the parcels, their next turn will come only 31 days later.

Politics in the time of hunger
It will be tougher, but interesting, for political parties. They have to identify families close to them to come up with their 25 packets."There can be overlap. Many families here are close, cutting across party lines," said Anil, who is also a close friend of the CPM panchayat head.

There are 587 households in Kottampally ward, and most of them know each other.

The BJP activist added: "There are many party members here whose immediate neighbours belong to other parties. I am sure they will ask their neighbours to pitch in when their party's turn comes," the BJP member said. Suresh agreed with a smile.

Maranalloor was a BJP ward before the CPM wrested power in 2020. In Kottampally, Congress's Sheeeba was Suresh's predecessor.

Great harmony kitchen
"The beauty of the project is the unspoken brotherhood it cultivates," Suresh said.

"Those who pick the parcels will have no idea who made the food. And those who prepare it will not know who eats their dishes. Yet, I am sure a

Hindu who picks up a parcel will know that his lunch that day could have been prepared by a Muslim or a Christian, and would be silently

grateful. Same with the members of other communities, too," Suresh said.

A woman in a white saree, who had just come out of the Pentecost church just 50m from the shelter, picked up not one but two parcels. An autorickshaw driver who was nearby was quick to explain, in a whisper.

"That is for 'annan', her husband. He is bedridden. They are poor people," he said.

There is a large proportion of Hindus in the Kottampally ward. But the presence of Christians and Muslims are not insignificant.

Kottampally model
Suresh and his team were clearly inspired by the DYFI food parcel distribution in medical colleges, which has now caught international

attention. What makes the Kottampally experiment promising is the fact that it is led not by a political organisation or NGO or private institution but by a local body.

If the Kottampally experiment sustains, this hunger-eradication project can be extended to the hundreds of backward wards and panchayats across Kerala.