'Apologies If Food Is Not Tasty': School Child's Note With Lunch Packet Wins Hearts

In Kerala, there's a saying that loosely translates to "Those providing food to the hungry are equivalent to God." So quite naturally, in God's Own Country, there have always been efforts to ensure people don't go hungry. One of the best examples of this are the social initiatives at the Government Medical Colleges that serve food to the needy. Hridayapoorvam is one such program launched by the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) to pool meals from the public and distribute them to patients and bystanders at the Government Hospital. A few days ago, one such meal pack received by a professor came accompanied with an unexpected and heartening note.

Grains Packed With Love

Rajesh Monji, an associate professor at the MES Mampad College, was at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for his mother's treatment when he received a heartwarming surprise. He had collected a food packet from the Hridayapoorvam stall, and upon opening it, he noticed a small note on the meal. The note, written in Malayalam, said, "Chetta, chechi, umma, thatha, amma (brother, sister, mothers)... Whoever receives this packet, forgive me. My mother is not at home. I prepared this while in a hurry to get to school. I apologise if it's not tasty. May you get well soon." The simple note written by a student out of concern has been winning hearts on social media ever since.

Responding to the note, Rajesh wrote on his Facebook post, "Child, the food packet you sent was delicious, and each grain was full of love." He expressed his gratitude toward the child for sending the food pack and pointed out that "In our world, where people are constantly pointing fingers at each other in the name of religion and caste, this child has been able to retain love for humanity."

Rajesh also goes on to affably point out two spelling mistakes made by the child in the note before apologising for his compulsions to correct the errors as a teacher. While the child who sent the note is yet to be identified, netizens continue to pour in love and warmth toward the small note that brought a smile to the receiver.

Gratitude To The Child's Efforts

A report by The News Minute conveyed that it was Rajesh's wife who had first found the note. He saw her staring at the letter with tears in her eyes, after which he picked it up and found the kind message sent across. Upon reading it, he said, "It made me feel a lot of hope in today's children." Putting down his feelings on the Facebook post, he said, "There might be people who wonder if this is a big deal; it definitely is." Explaining it further, he says that for the 2,000 food packets to reach just one hospital in a day, that many houses and families must have selflessly worked and contributed their time and energy.

At a time when self-absorbed notions drive people, such initiatives act as a reminder that there exist few souls who think about the welfare of the people seeking treatment at the government hospitals and their bystanders. The school-going child must have realised his part in this bigger cause and wanted to ensure that nobody goes hungry when he could afford the time and resources to cook up something. He then reminds the people who stand in the queues to receive the meal to be grateful for the kind of humanity and love that comes wrapped along with the food packets.

Since being posted, the Facebook post has received over 900 likes and hundreds of reactions from netizens. Many people conveyed that the child is a reminder that humanity still exists in the world and expressed their gratitude to the families that ensure food reaches those who are hungry.

Also Read: Andhra Pradesh: This All-Women Group Is Providing Home-Cooked Meals To COVID Patients In Quarantine