Mumbai: Couple Serves Free Food To Over 100 Senior Citizens In Memory Of Their Deceased Son

A middle-aged couple from Mumbai, Pradeep Tanna and his wife Damayanti, have been running a tiffin service serving free food for the last five years in Mumbai. The tiffin service is run for abandoned senior citizens. It is run in the memory of their son who passed away in a train accident in 2011.

The duo lost their 23-year-old son Nimesh, after he fell off from a moving train. A trust was made and named after him, in his memory. Free lunches through this tiffin service are given to over 100 senior citizens every day in their locality.

In 2011, Nimesh Tanna, boarded a local train to attend a meeting in Mumbai. He never made it to the meeting or to his home on that fateful day. A pole which was located too close to the tracks hit him hard, the moment he bobbed his head out of the moving train. Nimesh fell from the speeding train and died on the spot.

Coping with the loss of their only child became extremely difficult for Mr and Mrs Tanna. Their life came to a halt and days were spent remembering their child. The family decided to pay homage to their son in an extremely extraordinary way.

Shri Nimesh Tanna Charitable Trust (SNTCT) was started with the goal of providing free food to the needy. It was registered on 2013, January 26. SNTCT made a humble beginning by providing free food for 30 people, from their own kitchen.

Serving food to the hungry

SNTCT now provides free food to over 100 people and it has been two years that they haven’t skipped a single meal. They have a new kitchen in their home in Mulund, where seven staff make healthy meals for the underprivileged.

To ensure a timely delivery of the food, they have tied-up with the world-famous dabbawalas of Mumbai. According to a report by the Business Standard, Damayanti Tanna said, “We provide cooked meals to 110 citizens and every month, we provide grains to 100 people so that they can cook the food themselves. We also provide clothes, books, stationery items to needy kids in tribal areas. We decided to serve free dabbas to elderly people who have been abandoned by their children or have lost their children and dear ones like me.”

She further added, “We all do this by ourselves and whatever help we receive from our friends and relatives.” She also said that the trust never differentiates between class, creed or religion.

“We were broken after our son’s death and didn’t know what to do. We decided to not just live life, but also keep our son’s memory alive. After one and half years, my wife suggested that we do this. We never differentiate between caste, creed or religion. We provide food only to those, who are above 60 years of age and need food. We have been doing this for the last five years,” said Mr Tanna.

The Logical Indian Take

The Logical Indian community wholeheartedly applauds the efforts taken up by Mr and Mrs Tanna in the memory of their son. They are upholding the true essence of being accommodative and accumulative and ensuring the well-being of the entire community. They are working hard so that the memories of their son go on to live ahead for many more years to come. Mr and Mrs Tanna are an inspiration for many of us.