Pudukkottai (Tamil Nadu): Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown having an adverse impact on small roadside eateries, a tea seller from Tamil Nadu's Pudukkottai district has been providing free milk to needy people with infants.
Sivakumar, who runs a tea shop in Vampan village, has been sacrificing his own petty income, and providing free milk to infants with an ever-smiling face.
Vampan was one of the villages affected by the cyclonic storm Gaja in 2018. It was then that Sivakumar had begun his service, as he waived off the debts of all those who had tea at his shop earlier.
Similarly now, Sivakumar was moved by the plight of several families who are struggling to make ends meet without any work during these tough times. Many people are struggling to arrange even a single meal per day, and affording milk for their children remains a distant dream.
Sivakumar had also gone through a similar phase, as during the initial days of the lockdown, even his shop was shut. When shops slowly began to re-open, Sivakumar decided to help people out, even though his own income was meagre.
"I have been running this tea shop for the past 10 years. Due to coronavirus, people were confined to their homes due to the curfew. We have witnessed them suffering without any income," Sivakumar said.
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"Even I have been affected income-wise due to this lockdown. I have been forced into a situation where I had no money to even feed my own children. I wanted to help those people by at least giving their children milk for free. I helped them by providing some provisions also. I feel so happy to see children come and drink milk,” he added.
With many in the village under severe financial crunch, Sivakumar's kind-hearted gesture has got a tumultuous response.
"Sivakumar who runs the tea shop is not rich himself. He is looking after his family with his day to day earnings. Whenever you ask him for milk for the baby, he never hesitates to give it for free. This saves us money on milk. Who can have such a generous mind?" said a villager.
"I have two kids. He did not charge any money for the milk. It is a great service. Even though he himself is in distress, he is helping others. I thank him for the service,” said Valarmathi, a customer.
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