Vishal Singh (41), popularly known as ‘Lucknow’s Foodman’, is feeding 2,500 people every day in hospitals.
For Singh, this effort was born out of his own experience 18 years ago.
“My father was sick. He had asthma and then a lung infection. For weeks, he was in a hospital. Ours was a middle-class family, and after shelling out money for his medicines and the hospital stay, we had no money to eat ourselves,” says Singh.
In those days of walking long distances in search of food, and even scouring rubbish bins for leftover morsels, Singh decided that if life ever gave him the opportunity, he would serve the hungry.
“To serve nar (man) is to serve narayan (God),” says this graduate of jyotish vigyan (astrology).
By 2007, Singh had grown into a wealthy, successful man with money flowing in from his factory of electro-nursing equipment and real estate business.
“At the age of 25, I had everything one could dream of. I would change cars at whim. I had three houses in Lucknow,” he says.
He then decided to go back to his promise of providing food to the attendants of patients and patients.
A start was made in one Lucknow hospital, serving three meals a day to 100 people. Now that has grown to include prominent hospitals such as the King George's Medical University and the newly set-up DRDO COVID facility in Lucknow.
The meals served by the Vijayshree Foundation (Prasadam sewa) are wholesome—consisting of lentils, roti, rice, vegetables, curd and a sweet dish. Everything is cooked in desi ghee.
“For me, it is not just about giving food just for its sake. I think to myself, I am serving food for the guests of a daughter’s wedding. How can that food be substandard?” Singh says.
During the last phase of the pandemic, Singh and his 25 workers served 7.5 lakh food packets through the district administration.
Money for the services is pulled out of Singh’s own businesses, which are now managed by friends. Citizens and organisations also donate to the cause.
“I currently am in debt of about Rs 23 lakh. But shopkeepers know me, and they supply provisions on loan,” he says.
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Being a COVID-19 survivor, Singh says that he knows that nutritious food is the key to overcoming the disease. “I challenge the biggest hospitals to compare their food with mine. On every parameter of taste and hygiene, we score better,” he says.
Between this phase of the pandemic and the previous one, Singh says there has been a dip in people’s willingness to help. “Everyone has suffered tragedy. People don’t want to give money as they are saving for family emergencies. But this is God’s work, and it will continue,” Singh said.
