Prithvi Kumar Agrawal has been distributing free food to more than 200 Kuruwa of Koshi Hospital for two years.
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Pushing through the chaotic crowd at Koshi Hospital in Biratnagar, Sanjay Darji from Urlabari heads towards a tented area. After receiving free food being distributed there, he sits down at a nearby table and starts eating a mouthful. After eating his fill, he returns to the care of his uncle Tank Darji, who is being treated in the ICU.
For Sanjay, this one-time meal is a great relief from daily worries. ‘In this day and age, getting rice without money is a big deal for us,’ he says gratefully, ‘the people who are doing this service are great.’
Free food has been being distributed for these poor shepherds like Sanjay on the Koshi Hospital premises for the past 2 years. This work has been spearheaded by Prithvi Kumar Agrawal, a philanthropist from Tintoliya, Biratnagar-10.
Agrawal has been providing one-time, simple and delicious food daily to the shepherds of patients undergoing treatment at the hospital and, if necessary, to the patients themselves. It has been 2 years since the members of the social organization ‘Narseva Narayan Sewa’, established on his initiative, have been getting together every morning to run this service continuously.
‘A few years ago, when I reached Koshi Hospital, I was touched by the suffering of the shepherds I saw in the hospital courtyard,’ Agrawal says, ‘Some of them did not have the money for treatment. Some did not even have money to eat. Then I decided to provide free food to the poor families.’
Koshi Hospital is a treatment center for many poor families. It is difficult to provide even a single meal to patients and Kuruwa who come from remote settlements, including Rangeli, Gramthan, Ratuwamai in Morang, Barja, Harinagar in Sunsari, etc. Agrawal says, ‘I thought that even a small meal would provide them with relief. Now, in two years, we have provided food to more than 150,000 patients and Kuruwa.’
Food is cooked in Agrawal’s kitchen for 250 to 260 people daily. About 25 kg of rice and 60-70 kg of vegetables are prepared. For which about 11,000 rupees are spent every day. The cooked food is placed in a vehicle and taken to the hospital premises. He says, ‘We do not ask anyone. If the people who are willing to help, we will help them.'
The hot and fresh food served under the tarpaulin is not only food for the shepherds amidst the crowd and stress, but also a sweet taste of humanity. This 'kitchen of the heart' started by Agarwal has become an introduction to hope and support at Koshi Hospital today.
