Hunger is one such thing which can make or break people. This very hunger changed Syed Osman Azhar Maqsusi who was recently conferred with the UK’s prestigious Commonwealth Points of Light award for leading an interfaith food donation drive ‘Hunger has no religion’.
The 41-year-old Hyderabad resident Maqsusi was only 4-years old when he lost his father. His mother was a housewife and he and his other 4 siblings lived a hard life. He recalls that some days, they used to go to bed without any food. “I remember, when we used to get an invite for any family functions, we used to plan out things and were happy that we will be getting food to eat,” said Maqsusi.
At the age of 12, Maqsusi started working as a tailor. He wanted to study further but could not complete his education owing to the financial crisis. The only thing on his mind was to earn and to feed his family. In 2012, one day he saw a woman at railway station who was physically challenged and was with her son. He enquired and found out that her name was Laxmi, and both had been hungry for many days. “It hit me so hard. I could relate to her pain. We are a developing country, but even today, people die out of hunger. After giving her food, I decided then and there that I will start feeding people like Laxmi. The next day, I went near Dabeerpura Flyover and started distributing food. I had no plan, I did not think about finances, I just wanted to feed people,” said Maqsusi.
In 2015, he formed Sani Welfare Foundation NGO, through which he carries out his various activities. Along with ‘Hunger has no religion’ food drive, he initiated ‘Do roti campaign’. He urges people to carry two rotis (flatbread) with them so that they can donate them to people who are in need. He believes that children who beg near signal, should be given food instead of money, as it will discourage them any wrongdoings.
It has been 10 years now, Maqsusi has been feeding people. He said, first 4 years were tough for him. He used to bring food on credit, used to sell the scrap from his shop and used to buy food. He thanked God that he was able to look after his family and was able to continue his food drive.
When he started the food drive, he was all alone, but slowly and steadily, people joined him. “I have a habit of posting photos about food donation drive on social media. It is all there since the first day of my food donation drive. When I was featured on Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan’s show ‘Aaj ki raat hain zindagi’, many more joined. Now, because of this, I started getting more than I required and needed. Then, I started food drives near Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, in Raichur, Karnataka, Bangalore, Jharkhand, and Assam”.
Food drive has been running relentlessly, says Maqsusi. He recalls that in the early days of the drive, his wife used to cook food and he used to distribute the food, later they hired a cook. He says that this drive is not dependent on anyone, if for some reason, cook is not able to come, he and his wife cooks food and they distribute.
During lockdown, they started feeding migrant workers as well. “When lockdown happened, I did not face any problem. But when we learned about migrant workers, we set up a camp on the highway, outside Ramoji film city, for 8 days. On a daily basis, we were feeding 8,000 to 10,000 migrant workers. Along with this, we were helping migrant workers who were stranded in Hyderabad with ration”.
He said that he was scared that his cook, driver, or his cousin might get corona, hence, he drove alone and continued distributing food, until his elder son accompanied him. When asked about the Commonwealth Point of Light Award, he said he was elated and could not believe at first. He dedicated the award to his team who helped him in thick and thin. He recalled the moment when he saw his photo on the Points of Light website with Indian national flag, he got emotional and broke into tears.
The Commonwealth Point of Light Award recognises ‘outstanding individual volunteers who are making a change in their community’. These awards are made by Queen Elizabeth II, as Head of the Commonwealth, to thank inspirational volunteers across the 53 Commonwealth nations for the difference they are making in their communities and beyond.
“My goal is no one should die hungry in India. If we look at the Global Hunger Index, we are in the serious hunger category, and I really want this to change. I want to take my ‘Hunger Has No Religion’ food drive to every nook and corner of India,” says Maqsusi. He wants younger generation to be kind and embrace humanity while pursuing an education. He believes that unless and until one has humanity degree, one cannot be successful in career and life.
