The Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) for the assistance of its community people especially as the community has a lot of elderly and senior citizens, started helpline numbers and community kitchen for those who were in need of help amid lockdown.
In Mumbai the population of the Parsi community is hardly 50,000 said Kersi Randeria, a trustee of BPP. He told the Free Press Journal, "The concept was started initially by issuing two helpline numbers so we could reach out to distressed and poor Parsi people. There is a myth that all Parsis are rich but that is not the case. Several were in dire need of help in the last three months of lockdown. We used to get calls for food packets, medicines, dry ration. We formed some 10-12 groups on WhatsApp, colony wise where usually the Parsis live and then there was a core committee group of 40 people having doctors also, who used to find out ways to provide the assistance as per the requirements."
The BPP had started its own central kitchen at Cama Baugh Grant Road from where everyday 200 meals packets used to be supplied across Mumbai. Randeria asserted that the initiative not just helped them to volunteer people who needed help but also made the community people closer to each other in this critical time and it gave a satisfaction of helping the needy.
"In this lockdown people who became handicap either financially or due to age could get help from our volunteers. Due to lockdown as house helpers could not come to their places and cook food, such distressed and senior citizens were benefited. Our volunteers delivered food from Flora Fountain up to Andheri. A few staying at Borivali who asked for help were also assisted," said Randeria.
