Amid COVID-19 second wave, this Sikh man is providing "langar" on wheels to needy

A Sikh man has been crisscrossing the streets of Nagpur city of Maharashtra on his two-wheeler to provide free food to the needy every day — a practice he has been following for the last few years — which continues even during the distressing times of coronavirus pandemic.

Jamshed Singh Kapoor (41) is an astrologer who has been running this mobile "Langar Seva," where he provides dal khichdi to hundreds of people for five hours, starting at 3 pm.

Wearing a white t-shirt with "Langar Seva" printed on it, Kapoor can be easily spotted serving dal khichdi to people at various locations in the city, with a container filled with the eatable item tied to his two-wheeler.

Langar means community kitchen, as part of which free vegetarian food is served at Gurdwaras every day.

Talking to PTI about his initiative, Kapoor said that he has been running the "Langar Seva" in Nagpur since 2013.

"Earlier, only the underprivileged and poor used to come to get food. But with small eateries remaining shut due to the pandemic and the restrictions, people from all walks of life avail this service," he said.

He said people also support him in his endeavour and donate rice and pulses so that he continues to serve the needy.

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Recalling an incident, Kapoor said a beggar, who used to get food from him, had given him a bag containing some clothes, saying they should be given to some needy people after his death.

"I took the bag home. After his death, when I opened it, I found that he had kept Rs 25,000 cash inside along with the clothes, which he had not mentioned earlier," he said.

Kapoor says he has been running this service in the memory of Guru Nanak — Founder of Sikhism — who, he says, had visited Nagpur in 1512 and provided Langar service to the local tribals. He says that he dreams to run the "Langar Seva" for the needy 24x7.