One Rupee meals: Karuna Kitchen in Secunderabad fills stomachs, warms hearts

Yes, for just Rs 1, you can have your heart’s fill of piping hot ‘Khatti Khichdi’, the comfort food that has been a hallmark of Hyderabadi cuisine

Hyderabad: As we walk down the old Manohar talkies ‘galli’ (alley) on the Secunderabad railway station road, it is not easy to miss the serpentine queue of individuals, mostly migrants from Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and districts from Telangana, lining up in front of this non-descript shop that has a poster Karuna Kitchen.

Inside the makeshift kitchen, George Rakesh Babu is hurriedly readying the plates, expertly filling them with ‘Khatti Khichdi’ along with a small piece of cucumber. Outside, the restless crowd on a Thursday afternoon wait for the meal.

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“We have to open the service right away because it is lunch time and people are hungry. For me, hunger and poverty are the two-basic human needs that have to be addressed first,” he says, before he starts distributing the Rs. 1 Karuna Kitchen meals.

Yes, for just Rs 1, you can have your heart’s fill of piping hot ‘Khatti Khichdi’, the comfort food that has been a hallmark of Hyderabadi cuisine. If you want more, you can buy another Rs 1 token and come back for one more plate of rice.

Started about a month ago, the Rs 1 per meal at Karuna Kitchen is an instant hit with nearly 300 people, all facing financial hardships in life. Served only during the afternoon, Karuna Kitchen meal was started by George after he got inspired by ‘Jan Rasoi’ concept in New Delhi by Indian cricket coach Gautam Gambhir. Every day, between 12 noon and 2 pm, he serves a rice item with a side of Khatta for just Rs 1.

“For the past three to four years, I have been serving the needy in and around Secunderabad through various means. Recently, I came across the concept of Jan Rasoi and realized that addressing hunger is the most basic thing that I can do to help the needy,” says George, who runs a voluntary organization called as Good Samaritans India.

A majority of the individuals having food at Karuna Kitchen are struggling with various challenges in life.

“I am a daily wager and want to save money for my parents in my village in Jharsuguda, Odisha. This facility is godsend for me, because I can eat as much as I want for just Rs 1 or Rs 2,” says Dhrubo, a regular at Karuna Kitchen.

George can be reached at www.goodsamaritansindia.in