Serving Kindness: One Plate at a Time

There is no-one that hasn’t been affected by the pandemic. It has changed how we look at ourselves and our goals, how we view human relationships and how we see the world around us. We’ve been victims,  we’ve been survivors, we’ve lost friends and family. We’ve been overcome by grief. Kashmiri Barkakati, chef and baker and the founder of Kata Food - a food-processing start-up - decided she needed to do something about it.

Before the pandemic, Kashmiri would tour the country promoting Assamese food as a guest chef at various star hotels. She has to her credit North East India’s first marinated ready-to-cook chicken. “The pandemic changed everything,” she said. “I’m now a home chef.”

But that’s just a small part of how Kashmiri changed her life. It was really when the second wave hit the city of Guwahati that Kashmiri became a hero – albeit unwittingly. “In April many people got home isolated because of the second wave. And that is when I got a couple of calls from people living outside Assam, requesting meals for their aged parents/relatives, who had tested positive.

“That is when it struck me that many people must be in a similar situation with no one to ask for help. Even if they did have relatives and friends it would not be possible for their loved ones to provide meals every day. There would be young office goers, living alone who suddenly tested positive, who would be lonely, unwell and definitely in need of help.”

One of the symptoms of the Covid19 is extreme fatigue – that inability to move because of overwhelming weakness. “Imagine being in a situation where you are alone with no one to turn to and having to cook your own meals,” she says. That was an image, Kashimiri couldn’t get off her mind.

She decided to start serving free Covid meals to quarantined patients. “It all began on the 24th of April when I started this first-of-a-kind service in my city. I shared a post on my Facebook wall which got about 36 shares, in different groups and the very first day we sent out 20 meals. Initially, I managed out of my home kitchen, with one help. We started by dropping off the packages ourselves ensuring contactless delivery.”

But as the virus spread rapidly so did the cries for help. Kashmiri’s kitchen started getting calls not just from patients in Guwahati but also patients’ relatives from cities all over India and even the US, Germany and Australia! In most cases, it was aged parents who had tested positive. “The helplessness and despair was palpable when the relatives and friends spoke to us. And for me, to hear the relief in their voices when we agreed to take care of something as basic as food - which so many of us take for granted – was just so rewarding.”

Soon word spread that Kashmiri’s Kata Food was serving over 100 meals. In fact, between 24^th April to 27^th April she served over 100 meals.  “That is when some very kind souls came forward with help both in cash and kind. Our delivery had to be streamlined and we tied up with Bikozee who has been doing the delivery for us, along with our staff, since it’s never enough.”

But what about Kashmiri herself? She was putting herself and her staff out at a time  when the virus was its most virulent. “Yes, of course, I was scared. Very much. I would lie in bed at times, full of self-doubt wondering how I could take this responsibility forward but worried if I was exposing my staff, my family members as we took on the task of helping others. My staff remained strong mentally and emotionally and fully supported this effort. I’m blessed because none of them has taken a day off since the day we started.”

As the orders for food increased, Kashmiri decided to crowd-fund. “ I wanted to keep serving as many as possible and never refuse anyone.” Her efforts bore fruit. Help has been pouring in from all over the world. “My friends, classmates, guests who had dined during my food festivals have supported and contributed towards our mission. It is extremely humbling. It is overwhelming.

Kashmiri says it is difficult to not be affected by the grief and trauma that the virus has caused in more ways than we can imagine. “Fear has paralyzed us in an uncharacteristic way, which isolates patients even more. The physical and mental trauma of the patients is enormous. I could feel it each time I got a call for help”.

She realised how small acts of kindness can make a huge difference. “The last one month has been learning in ways that are difficult to describe. I’ve come to realise that in the end, all that matters is kindness and love - over anything else. An isolated Covid patient needs kindness, sometimes just a person to talk to. “They just want to feel a little cared for. We talk to them, listen to them, and encourage them to stay positive. We establish a bond with them. There have been times when we’ve lost some patients we’d  been serving and it has been utterly heart-wrenching.”

As she continues to sending  out free meals to patients all over Guwahati, Kashmiri brushes aside suggestions that what she’s doing is truly heroic. The pandemic, she says,  has shown her the large heartedness  and sense of community among people. “I believe we are just a medium. Today, so many people are helping us and we are all connected somehow in the service of humanity. Even this simple act of serving a meal is possible because of the coming together of so many well-wishers.”