Roti Sewa Postulations.

Noida (30/4/2020) : Roti Sewa, is an unprecedented initiative of Noida Authority to address hunger of thousands of migrated workers in Noida during Covid 19 lockdown crisis. Roti sewa ensures that no one sleeps hungry in Noida.

Noida has the richness of numbers of huge multistoried societies, where it is easy to float an idea, a thought and easier to get responses quickly and collectively. That’s how, Roti Sewa movement which was started by two societies with a contribution of 400 rotis on 12th April, 2020 crossed 31000 rotis per day in 18 days and number of participating societies increased upto 34 and more. It’s the best example ever of people’s participation towards humanity.

Roti Sewa works in a chain system. Rotis from family kitchen get deposited with their tower guards and then all these rotis are collected, accounted and handed over to Noida Authority’s carriers at the main gates of each apartment who make a final count on the total roti collection. Noida Authority then carries these rotis to the community kitchen, where dal/vegetables are cooked for people depending upon the number of rotis they have received each day.

Now that the rotis are made at family kitchen with a purpose to serve humanity, all the family members love to contribute towards it. At many families, kids are actually learning roti making. Either kids are self- motivated or parents are great motivators to convince their kids to learn how to make rotis and contribute towards the roti sewa. Nevertheless, this is the best time for the kids to learn something new and essential.

On one such day, while I was making roti, my son came to the kitchen and asked me, “show me how do you make rotis”? At the same time, he tried to find out what was the other dish cooked in the pan and started to stir it. I became cautious, what if he could not balance the pan while stirring and pan fell down. A reflective thought over his kitchen skills crossed my mind and I warned him, be careful, otherwise this would be like “Garibee mein atta gila”. He looked at me and asked,”what does that mean”?

A pause, a thought, and then I started my session. You know, roti making is very scientific and skillful work, it’s actually an art. You must learn by yourself how much water needs to be mixed to a certain amount of wheat, the dough has to be perfect with certain amount of softness so that when you make roti balls and start flattening it with a chakala-belon, it flattens smoothly and spreads evenly. Those who are skillful and well-practiced, can only make rotis in a perfect round shape. For the learners and semi-skilled one’s it takes various different shapes like a country map. The creative ones give triangular or square type of shapes to rotis.

And then when it comes to cooking rotis, you have to have great patience. To begin with, the tawa should be well heated, then lower the heat, put the roti on tawa, keep checking and moving the roti, so that it’s evenly heated and cooked. Little bit of divert attention and the roti might get burnt. A mild brown cooked roti served hot to the family members carries all the love and blessings of the maker.

So, if you have less atta and you pour more water to make a dough, you just can’t make rotis. That’s why it’s called “Garibee mein atta gila”. It’s a Hindi proverb, like when I said it, I wanted to tell you that if the pan falls down with the freshly cooked dish I wouldn’t be able to cook again.
My practical session on Roti gets over and he calls me ‘Super Mom’.
Roti Sewa, is not just a contribution and collection of rotis. It’s the collection and distribution of thoughts, blessings and people’s willingness to stand together to save humanity. It’s an extraordinary artful of saying, “We Care, so that no one sleeps hungry in Noida”.