India is facing a humungous health infrastructure crisis owing to the alarming spread of COVID-19. But what the wily virus cannot defeat is the resilience and helpful nature of Indians! Cast a look around … explore social media handles… and you’ll view a plethora of posters, fliers, audio and video messages offering help on all grounds be it oxygen or medication supply. 

And amidst all this food is fast emerging as a platform for bonding. Albeit restaurants and food outlets are not serving customers on their premises; but they are promptly and efficiently doing food delivery and also going a step ahead to provide customized meals. Then again lots of NGOs and even citizen groups are pitching in with paid or complimentary food kits for supply to - COVID-infected families who can’t cook their own food; and frontline warriors like policemen and medico and health personnel. College-going kids are setting up their own groups and providing home cooked food in disposable trays to COVID patients in government hospitals. People are investing their resources to come up with innovative food hampers like – orange juice to boost immunity levels; dark chocolate; protein-based pulses; fruit baskets; dry-fruit kits; et al.

Upon being asked what fuels his desire to consistently provide (since May 2020) homemade cooked meal kits (dal, sabzi, roti, papad, jaggery, namkeen and rice) through his battalion of young boys from well-to-do families to corona patients post receipt of their RTPCR-positive report; Himanshu Raval shares, “Well there are two ways of looking at a crisis – cursing the authorities and people in general; or doing something to ease the same. My team and I thought it’s better to choose the second option as not only would it nourish a patient but it would give us a feel-good factor too!”

You then have home chefs and home bakers who are continuously rustling up delicacies to pep up special occasions of people holed up in their houses due to the pandemic. A cake for an anniversary, a goodies hamper for a birthday, a basket of immunity boosting items for a wedding … these small but meaningful gestures are leaving a mark on both the donor and the recipient.

Then again there is a segment of the community who has never had the opportunity to test their culinary skills owing to paucity of time. But today, thanks to work and study from home this section is unearthing a new talent!

And we also have people who till date have never stepped into the sacrosanct premises of their kitchen happily breezing in and whipping up something small be it a kadha, turmeric latte, poha or even noodles and soups to feed their partners and family. 

Neighbours are sharing their regional cuisine on festivals; families are arranging for pot luck and outdoor picnics; the list is endless.

Well there are a lot of bright things happening on the food front despite the gloomy pandemic. Food perhaps is binding people like never before …!