How Religious Organizations Are Rising Up to help Provide Material, Emotional And Spiritual Comfort, In Times Of Crisis
Even as the world comes to terms with the post COVID lifestyle, trying to deal with the social, and economic disruptions, the real impact of this global crisis on the mental, and emotional wellbeing of people is yet to be properly understood. With mounting financial uncertainty, people today are also dealing with anxiety, grief, and pain of losing a family member or friend, isolation and depression. At such times, while medical science and governments all over the world are fiercely working to combat the spread of the virus, NGO’s and other support groups are working closely with the communities to provide food, essentials, and emotional support.
In the same spirit but in a larger manner, religious organizations are also pitching in, helping provide much more than material and emotional support. Along with food, shelter, medical care, and support, these religious organizations are also providing hope, and building mental resilience – vital qualities needed for any society to be able to fight and emerge as survivors after a deadly global pandemic! From preaching sermons from the ancient scriptures and helping people raise their consciousness to focus on doing good deeds, to providing counselling and life coaching to individuals and families, religious organizations have proven to be valuable in their efforts of keeping the social fabric intact, while helping people cope with the unfathomable.
One such organization is the ISKCON temple at the sleepy, warehouse town of Bhiwandi. ISKCON has been at the forefront of charity and social welfare through their various temples across the city. Their ‘Food for Life’ is one such significant initiative that aims at fighting hunger with nutritious, Sattvik meals served to the underprivileged in its vicinity. ISKCON’s Bhiwandi temple is leading one such significant ‘Food For Life’ program, serving up to 1000 free meals per day, every day, since March 2020, to the daily wage workers and warehouse laborers, who are battling unemployment and poverty during COVID. In addition to the free meals on a daily basis, the temple has also been conducting online sessions for stress and mental health management for COVID Frontline workers, professionals, students etc., where they can learn meditations, chanting, and listen to discourses on Bhagvad Gita, that can help them find peace in these chaotic times.
Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON says “We have to see that nobody goes hungry within a ten mile radius. The temple is the house of God. God is everyone’s father. So in the presence of the father, the son doesn’t go hungry. So we have to make an arrangement that people get fed.”
Narottam Priya Das, Spiritual guide, ISKCON Bhiwandi says, “In line with the vision of our founder-acharya, we, at ISKCON Bhiwandi, strive to conduct our daily free food distribution activity to the best of our ability. Everyone is a child of God and deserves a hot meal for his/her sustenance”.
Now, ahead of the Janmashtami Celebrations, the temple has planned to further extend this community service to help reach out to and support the underprivileged and migrant population in and around Bhiwandi. The distribution of 50,000 free meals is set to start from 23rd August and end on the 29th August, on the eve of Janmashtami.
