Kalam Khan, 40, a resident of Deoria, around 320 kms from Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow, was with his friends on March 24 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the three-week nationwide lockdown.

After the announcement, they were a bit disappointed. The idea of being locked up inside their homes and sitting idle wasn’t very appealing. So, they decided to do something so that they would be able to move around and also be of some help to others.

Kalam and his friends – Sujit Chaurasia, Abhishek Rawat, Golu Chaurasia, Yogesh Jaiswal and Vishal Singh – all from Deoria, instantly decided to distribute food packets.

“That time many people were stuck in Deoria. These were the labourers who were going back to their villages from Noida or Lucknow. Not many buses were playing then or the buses had dropped them in Deoria. They were stuck and didn’t have food or shelter. We thought why not feed them and many others who needed help. Instead of being locked up inside our home, we decided to help others,” said Kalam over the phone from Deoria.

It was just an idea then. They didn’t have a concrete plan about how to go about distributing food. But, where there is a will, there is a way.

“Luckily, one of our friends runs a hotel in Deoria. The hotel was anyway going to be shut because of the lockdown. So, we thought we would use that space to cook the meals. The next day after the lockdown was announced, we applied for passes. We started distributing meals as soon as we got the passes,” said Kalam.

In the initial days, they distributed around 150-200 food packets daily. But once the labourers settled a bit, there wasn’t much crowd there. But Kalam and his friends didn’t stop. They started distributing these food packets at a local hospital.

“We go to the hospital along with the food packets. For safety reason, we don’t enter the premise. We tell the staff to collect as many food packets as they want,” said Kalam.

What makes this all the more incredible is the fact that all these people have suffered losses in their businesses because of the lockdown. Kalam, for instance, owns a small business of selling tea leaves, but hasn’t been able to do much because of the lockdown. The same is the case with the others. And yet, you will find them distributing food packets every single day.

Every day, they pool in money and spend around Rs 1,500 from their pockets. It may not seem like a big amount to many, but considering the lockdown has affected them and they could have easily chosen to stay at home, it is a lot.

What keeps them going?

“Well, it’s not about Rs 1,500 or Rs 2,000. It’s about helping others. Now that we have started this, we should not stop. There are people who are dependent on our food packets. To tell you honestly, we were a bit disappointed after the lockdown was extended. But we decided to be strong and continue with the good work,” said Kalam.

He said those who want to join them, or want to help in cash and kind are most welcome to do so. When asked if someone has offered to help yet, Kalam said: “No”, but quickly added: “But that won’t stop us”.

When asked how do their families react to this considering all those who step out are at the risk of contracting the virus, Kalam laughed. “A funny thing happened just before the lockdown. My wife is from Mumbai. My brother-in-law came visiting and insisted my wife spends a few days in Mumbai with her family. She went to Mumbai and after 4-5 days, the lockdown was announced! Now my wife is stuck there and I am here with my kids.”

Kalam has two sons, aged 11 and 14. He not only has to prepare and distribute these food packets, he goes back home and cooks for his sons as well.

Kalam Khan and his friends could have easily locked themselves inside their homes. But they made a choice. The choice was to step out and help others. “It’s satisfying. We shall continue for as long as we can,” said Kalam.