the man who serves and respects humanity" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="medium" ids="18397,18393,18399,18394,18398,18395,18396"] Dona Paranayil MILLIONS of people starve each day without a single meal and many of us do not care. How many of us serve the poor and needy? We think a lot and end up giving priority to religion, race and color. Should these beliefs be the priority? Well, not for Azhar Maqsusi, a 36-year-old Indian social worker, father of 3 children and the president of Sani Welfare Association (SWA), who recently appeared on Indian cine star Amitabh Bachchan's show Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi. Azhar was featured on the show to share his story and inspire the world. Azhar, who runs a Plaster of Paris Interior Design business, has been feeding the hungry every day from 1-2 p.m. under the Dabeerpura Bridge, Hyderabad, for the last 4 years. "A chance incident tugged at my heart and today a simple act of mine has become a practice. As I was walking towards the railway station, I saw Ms. Lakshmi, a physically handicapped lady whose son was missing and she had not eaten for two days. She was crying out loud for food, pityingly calling out to every passer-by. So I went to a hotel nearby and bought her some food, " said Azhar. "The incident got me thinking, ‘I prayed to God that let me be able to feed and help the needy, let me try so please help me and give me the strength to do so'. The next day, after the incident, I brought some food from home to the railway station and distributed to everyone there. Soon after, I put up a board under the bridge titled ‘Daily free food for poor and homeless people'," said Azhar. With the help of his friends and well wishers, he formed the association, an NGO, and created his Facebook page. The association works for the progress of people and provides free food camps, free medical service at a small clinic that has been in operation since the last 2 years, free tuition at an institute and free training for stitching and sewing at a tailoring center. "Currently, we have started feeding the poor near the Gandhi Hospital, a government hospital, Secunderabad, and not only the sick patients but those who accompany them can also have free food," said Azhar. Today, Azhar feeds more than 80-120 homeless people each day. He said, "The important thing is to feed the hungry not the taste of the food so we provide rice and dal and once in a week, jeera rice or veg biryani." "In the beginning, my wife used to cook for everyone but later we hired a cook to whom we pay Rs7,000 per month," added Azhar. Nearly 25 kg rice, 1 liter oil and 2 kg pulses are required every day. It costs Rs1,500 – Rs1,700 daily but Azhar is happy to pay from his own pocket. He said, "When I started this journey, I never thought about the budget or donations, I just started by having faith and trust in God." He added, "Our motto is to serve humanity so in the name of God, I never ask for donations but if anyone comes to me with their kind hearted and generous act, I welcome them. There is a Facebook friend of mine who has been providing rice since the last 2 years and a lot of other people who want to help." Azhar comes from a family who knows the meaning of hunger. His father passed away when he was 4 years old and his mother struggled to raise him and his siblings. "From a very young age, I have been working really hard to survive. I know what it is like to sleep hungry," he said. Recalling the experience of being on the show, Azhar expressed, "Firstly, I thank God for giving me an opportunity to share my story to the world and secondly, I was excited and honored to meet Amitabh Bachchan and Mohammed Azharuddin (former India cricket captain). Having a talk with Amitabhji boosts your confidence level. He asked me to keep up the good work and wished me success. Azhar bhai (brother) told me that he would visit me in Hyderabad and participate in our social work." If we have an eye for the world, we'll have a way for the world to live and be happy. Azhar's story teaches us the same, and all we have to do is to care for others not merely for ourselves. Azhar's message to the world is, "Whenever you work for the well being of the society, if you work for God, do not divide people on the basis of religion, caste, race or color. Please help everyone, be kind to them and be selfless not selfish."
