Feature Story

NEWS FEATURE STORY 

A woman provides free vegetarian food to Indian students in Hillingdon

In the recent time, we have come across cases where a plethora of people who are suffering either by the covid-19 or hardships of faced by them while they’re in a lockdown. There was a major setback for international students who had arrived to get an experience in the universities but landed up staying inside their houses which eventually led to many difficulties faced by them. 

In between this tough time, their people came out to help the ones in need apart from the NHS, many volunteered to help the people in some way or the other, amongst them is Mrs. Shilpa Singh, a resident of the London borough of Hillingdon, who not only cooks vegetarian food but also delivers it to them.

Mrs.Shilpa who is a British-Indian has been living in Hillingdon for over a decade now, when IKB Insider interacted with her to know how exactly she got an idea like this to help students, to which she said, “ we often rent vacant rooms in our house to students, so I understand the struggles one goes through, especially when it comes to food”, she also said I being a vegetarian myself, I know that it’s tough for an outsider who doesn’t know how to cook his/her meal here. She remembered recalling a tenant who came from India two years ago, and he dint know how to cook and was a vegetarian, she tried to find out someone who can deliver vegetarian food at home for him, but either someone dint agreed or they were way too expensive for him, after some days when I saw that he is not able to have enough meals in a day, I decided to cook for him and continue to do it till the time he was my tenant, I still remember how thankful he was for that favour, and it was that time I realised that how happy it makes me when someone can receive his/her meal because of my effort, from that day I decided that whenever I will get the opportunity to help someone in this manner, I will do it again.

When IKB Insider asked about her that how did you got the idea of delivering free food to students in Hillingdon, to which Mrs. Shilpa replied, in this scenario, a lot of people are suffering, “I always use to hear stories about an international student struggling to make ends meet because of no part-time jobs available. I remember my neighbour telling me about a friend of his elder son, who came from India last month and his having difficulties with his meal, it was then I decided to initiate and help” she said. I told my neighbour that if that person needs help with the meals he can contact me, “later in the evening I got a call from and I told him that there is no need to worry about food anymore”. IKB Insider also got in touch with one of the student’s name “Aditya” to whom a meal is been provided, when we asked him about how he feels after receiving free meals during the lockdown, to which he replied “I feel blessed, never I thought I’ll be so lucky”. 

While talking to Mrs. Shilpa, she also added, “I have found 3 more such students who were facing a similar problem, I cook and deliver food for them as well”. When did IKB Insider ask her that isn’t that a burden for you to make food for four other people and that too for free? Mrs. Shilpa smiles and said it is no doubt a bit difficult sometimes, but I won’t call it a burden but a blessing that I’m able to help these students, even the students themselves don’t like that I’m providing them free meals and want to pay for the food, but I always deny to it. She further added “I have always believed and lived with the fact that if god allows you to help the ones who need help, you should always do it without any intention of self-benefit”, and I will continue to help them at least till the time things get better here and students then can have enough options to have their meals, but till then I’m more than happy to help them.