Teen sisters turn messiah for poor and hungry
Bhubaneswar: Crisis doesn’t create character, it reveals it.
While most people are afraid to step out on the streets as fears of community transmission of coronavirus rise in the country, 17-year-old Bijaylaxmi Moharana and her 15-year-old sister Bidyalaxmi are feeding poor and famished people in Cuttack’s CDA area on a daily basis.
Bijaylaxmi and Bidyalaxmi — the saviour sisters — have been moving from door to door and collecting food from locals to feed the homeless and the needy. Despite coming from a lower-middle class family, the sisters are more than happy to serve in the time of national crisis. The father of the two girls, Bijay Moharana, is a small-time welder. Their family, too, have been hit by the pandemic.
“We are moved by the plight of the poor people. Our father is also facing financial difficulty since more than a month now. We have decided to help the people in distress as we all are in this together,” Bijaylaxmi, a Plus-III student, said. “We approached the people of the CDA area and requested them to donate rotis, rice, vegetables and fruits for the poor. Many agreed,” she added.
The girls have been collecting food from at least 65 households for the last two weeks. “If we don’t manage to collect enough food, we make rice or rotis at our home before going out to serve. We have created a WhatsApp group comprising the donors and requested them to urge their kin to extend help,” Bidyalaxmi, a Plus-II student, said.
At least 400 to 500 poor people are being fed dinner at Dargah Bazaar Chhak in Cuttack on a daily basis. The commissionerate police have been coordinating for the smooth distribution of food. “We appreciate the noble initiative of the two sisters. Our personnel help in maintaining social distancing norms during the distribution,” Cuttack DCP Akhileshvar Singh said.
The poor beneficiaries and locals have heaped praises on the two sisters. “We were touched by their generosity. We will continue to support them in this endeavour,” Asheet Padhi, a businessman, said.
“I am a rickshaw puller. I have turned bankrupt as the people have stopped moving out of their homes amid the lockdown. I was finding it difficult to feed my family. I have a wife and two sons,” Ganga Behera said. “But these two little girls came to our rescue. They have our blessings and good wishes,” he added.
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