At New Delhi, Gambhir holds the upper hand in a Test match against hunger

Scene in front of Gambhir's community kitchen in Patel Nagar, photo: Dipankar Saxena

New Delhi: “Badhiya hai… Kitne din baad chhole chawal khane mile,” murmured 68-year-old Dharmender Bhalla with his eyes closed. Sitting on his tricycle while polishing off the remains on his paper plate, he looked the happiest person in this world.

It’s delicious! I’m having chhole chawal after ages. The innocence and feeling of utmost satisfaction is lost in translation. But what remains is the fact that the old man would not go to bed on an empty stomach despite having just one rupee coin in his ribbed, pale wallet. Like him, hundreds of others queued up in Gautam Gambhir Foundation’s community kitchen in New Delhi’s Patel Nagar to have their lunch, for which they would have to otherwise struggle a lot.

Dharmender Bhalla after finishing off his meal, photo: Dipankar Saxena

The first right from DMRC’s Patel Nagar metro station towards Rajendra Place leads to West Patel Nagar main market. Usually an area buzzing with noise of countless heads, the market somehow battled itself to be in perfect sync with Gambhir’s idea of providing food to the needful as it happily accommodated a makeshift set-up at the meeting point of three narrow lanes and a queue of around 300 people during the busiest hours of the day.   

The small tent with half a dozen chairs and a table inside it does not have anything attractive in it and is sure to miss the eye at most hours of the day but between 1-3 pm in the afternoon. Decorated with Gambhir’s picture, the tent turns into an area of social harmony. Started off on Monday, Gambhir has pledged to keep this going throughout the year. 

“Gautam always wanted to do something for the needful. So he came with this idea of a community kitchen. We are confident enough to keep it going for 365 days,” Gaurav Kapoor, former Delhi cricketer and now a member of the foundation told Wah Cricket.

The food comes from an adjacent restaurant and is prepared along with the meal for its paid customers.

“We haven’t compromised on quality. The rice and other ingredients used are the same the restaurant uses for its regular customers,” added Gaurav.

Not only quality, the foundation has designed a versatile menu so that the taste buds don’t get bored. Apart from chhole chawal, there is rajma chawal, kadi chawal and mix veg on the menu.

The variety however was the last thing on the minds of the hungry rickshaw pullers, security guards, domestic helps and small kids, who waited anxiously for their meal.

As soon as they saw three people coming out of the restaurant, carrying a big vessel of rice, they immediately started to form a line like obedient school children. Not that they had to sweat much for it as Gambhir like his preparation to tackle both pace and spin had already made prior arrangements to avoid the rush. Two separate lines were created for men and women. Volunteers, many of whom are not even associated with the foundation, sprang into action to make sure the traffic was not disturbed and few others assembled inside the tent to look after the smooth operation. Chhole chawal was being served hot.  

Volunteers serving food to people, photo: Dipankar Saxena

About 100 meters away Mahesh, the last person standing in the line, immediately informed the authorities about an old man who was struggling to find his way through the long queue. He was then taken in front and handed over a plate. Unlike many govt. areas and public places, Gambhir’s community kitchen had special arrangements for senior citizen, women and kids. 

When approached by Wah Cricket, rickshaw puller Mahesh informed that he had been visiting the place since the first day and decided to help out in the process.

People like Dharmender and Mahesh don’t know Gambhir for his match winning 97 in the 2011 World Cup final or for his Test cricketer of the year award in 2009; for them Gambhir is someone who has taken away their worry of hunger – perhaps the biggest laurel the left hander would achieve in his whole life.