“My inner consciousness commands me to be good to all and selflessly help the needy as much as I can.”
Dr. Uday Modi (57) is an Ayurveda doctor and TV character actor, who runs a free tiffin catering service, named Shravan Tiffin Seva/Service and has been providing meals, medication and his time for the past 17 years to abandoned impoverished elderly abandoned parents. He says he is proud to be the son of more than 300 beneficiaries.
Here he talks about his passionate mission with A.Radhakrishnan
What made you start this tiffin service?
One day a 78 year old person came to my clinic crying. He said that though he had three children, no one was supporting him and his paralysed wife. It was a very difficult existence.
I was saddened on hearing this and I told him not to worry as from the next day onwards I would provide him tiffin from my house. I told my wife about what had happened. She pointed out there could be also others like them. We agreed that we would cook as much as we could provide. Soon pamphlets were slipped in local papers and notices put up on walls. Beginning with daily tiffin for three to four people in the first week, it later on gradually kept increasing.
So to circumvent this difficult situation, I decided to form a trust ‘Shravan Tiffin Services’ in the year 2007. Beginning with Bhayandar (west) in Mumbai, where I live, we spread slowly to Bhayandar (east) and Mira-Bhayandar in Thane, Maharashtra.
Did you face any difficult situations?
Obstacles that arose included tempos breaking down due to rains and having to take recourse to rickshaws to deliver tiffins, which proved costly. Sometimes the roti provider was unavailable, and when we delivered tiffin late we would be harangued by the beneficiaries. But I didn’t mind because I considered them my own parents and as I suffer from diabetes, I could understand their situation. I was after all, Shravan, son to 325 fathers and mothers.
Why did you name your service Shravan?
We all know the story of Shravan Kumar whose parents were blind. To enable them to see the world he made a palanquin of two baskets and a bamboo pole and carried it on his shoulder with his parents sitting on the either side. This story inspired me to name my service as Shravan Tiffin Service.
How do you manage the funds? Is it adequate?
Raising adequate funds to run the service is always a challenge. We need at least three lakhs a month. We get some donations, but it is insufficient. Sadly, donors want publicity on the tiffin boxes, but I don’t want that. I generate some funds as a character actor in TV serials, and as a practicing M.D in Ayurveda. By the grace of God some friends also pitch in and this way, we manage. Other doctors do help in treatments, but there is absolutely no help from the government. I feel happy and grateful when a person approaches me to enquire about the donation process.
What is your staff strength and how do you pay them?
We have 11 dedicated persons, all paid on salary basis. Two cooks rustle up the meals in two kitchens, one for general beneficiaries and the other for those suffering from diabetes.
How do you select the beneficiary parents?
Both, those abandoned and the infirm are included. We take their Aadhar card xerox, and for reference another person’s Aadhar card. Prior to that we verify whether they are really needy. Our person goes for verification, checking out their place of residence, the number of people staying and so on. We have two tempos which display our ads on them and this helps people approach us.
What makes children abandon their parents? Where does the fault lie? Is it in upbringing?
It makes my heart bleed when I come across such instances. There can be many reasons. Old age and sickness are two prime factors. The axiom Matru Devo Bhavo and Pitru Devo Bhavo (revere your mother & father as God) seems to have been forgotten.
Upbringing cannot be faulted. No parent will teach a child to think wrong. The fault perhaps lies in the blind aping of western culture which is prevalent nowadays.
One can understand children not wanting to be with their parents, but neither providing food nor looking after them, is a critical situation. I have asked their children to pay for the tiffin but they rudely argue and refuse. Yes, nowadays the world has turned very selfish and self – centered.
In everyday life, we pray to God while leaving for work and touch the feet of our father and mother before starting our work. I do not understand where this beautiful Indian culture has disappeared.
Do you believe in karma for these misguided children?
Yes, karma whether we believe or not exists. Like blood, karma will pass down surely to these children for the sin that they have committed.
What does each tiffin consist of and what does it cost? How is it classified?
Our food is simple but hygienic and nourishing. Monday to Saturday we serve 6 rotis, dal, rice, bhaji in a single tiffin and 12 rotis in double tiffin, but on Sunday’s we provide puris and sweets. Cost per tiffin works out to Rs. 100/- each.
As a doctor I know that the elderly require special consideration in the preparation of their food. That is why I classify it according to the most common pathologies… diabetes and hypertension fundamentally. Food for diabetics is cooked in a separate kitchen. I personally taste the food before it is packed, thus guaranteeing the quality of the tiffins to be distributed.
What about medication?
Yes we also provide the elderly medicines as and when required.
Is it a 24×7 service?
We provide this service all 365 days, though it is very difficult. There is no holiday, no sick leave, not even for plying damaged vehicles. You see the elderly depend on the tiffins every day. Else they go hungry and we cannot fail them.
How far has your dream of an old age home fructified?
For 17 years, I have been harbouring this daily thought to do something more for those people, to improve their standard of living.
My dream project named Maa Baap Nu Mandir, though not a solution, will definitely make a difference and give them a roof overhead and proper meals and care. I have named it so because they should not feel that they are in an old age home. Love and care will be a priority for ageing persons here. After all, we owe our very existence to our parents.
Seventy percent of the project is completed. But being a big project, it is very difficult to manage funds. Of course though a normal structure, it will be airy and lighted. They shall not be confined to their rooms as they are not criminals. Other recreational facilities such as community hall, library, dining hall, garden, a temple and also a Gaushala and organic farming within the campus, will enable them definitely a healthy atmosphere.
Did the pandemic affect you?
Yes of course, it did. It was difficult to get groceries and donations were sparse. Shops were closed, had limited or fixed timings to buy grocery and vegetables. Providing tiffins to beneficiaries at their place was difficult too as we were not permitted to enter the premises.
Do you think your children will continue your legacy?
Yes my children will certainly continue my legacy. When my children Aayushi and Varun were young, they used to save their pocket money which we gave them and I am happy they also help me in my Shravan tiffin seva to some extent. It’s a true saying that ‘every penny has got value, though big or small’.
They have grown accustomed to keeping their demands for toys, gadgets and clothes minimal. They understand that their father’s savings are meant for a social cause.
Did your appearance on the TV reality show Dance India Dance help your cause?
Super Dancer was the only the platform that we got a chance to introduce our Shravan Tiffin Seva. It did give us traction.
How spiritual are you?
I am a spiritual person. I feel that rather than hoarding physical things and being a slave to luxury, empathy for the abandoned human beings and animals are necessary in this cruel world. The Mahabharata and Ramayana teach us how to stick to our principles and how context and circumstances change the application of said principles.
My inner consciousness commands me to be good to all and selflessly help the needy as much as I can.
Communication Details:
Dr. Uday Modi 9820448749
Panna Salvi 7208305211
A.Radhakrishnan is a Pune based freelance journalist, poet and short story writer.