Operation Sulaimani #AtoZChallenge

In more than 200 restaurants in Kozhikode, a city in Kerala, India you can see a box filled with notes and coins next to the cashier. And on that box is labeled two words - Operation Sulaimani.

An initiative started by District Collector N Prashant who believed in the compassion of his fellow Keralities, Operation Sulaimani began in 2015 and remains a huge success even today.

Under Operation Sulaimani, donations from the public go into boxes  strategically placed throughout the city. The money from these boxes fund coupons which are made available at government offices and many hotels. Those who are hungry and do not have money can then take these coupons for free and have a hearty lunch of their choice in any of the designated restaurants, no questions asked.

In June 2015, Operation Sulaimani was launched in 40 restaurants and eateries in Kozhikode. In that first year, over 10,000 meals were served across Kozhikode via Operation Sulaimani and the number of restaurants had increased to 200 across the district, a massive increase of 500 % in participation.

The district collector regularly updates the list of hotels participating in Operation Sulaimani.

Prashant Nair modeled Operation Sulaimani on systems existing in western countries - 'Coffee on the wall' and 'Food on the Wall' - where the community reaches out to care for one another. The name is derived from the flavorful spiced tea 'Sulaimaini' available in the Malabar area. The thought behind this first came to the District Collector while watching the hit Malayalam film 'Ustad Hotel' which dealt with the topic of attaining personal peace by serving the poor and hungry. So it was a wonderful blend of reel-life meets real-life when director Anjali Menon, who wrote the script of Ustad Hotel, inaugurated Operation Sulaimani in 2015.

One of the best things I read from one of Prashant's interviews was this anecdote. He was asked whether he had factored in that many people may misuse this venture. His reply?

'Yes, maybe many will. But they will just misuse it for eating food, not for any other purpose. The main thing is that the hungry will be served for free, with utmost dignity.'

Operation Sulaimani does not receive any funding from the government. All the money for this noble cause is purely contributed by the public of the city of Kozhikode, who do not ask the identity of the recipient of their generosity. It is enough that they get fed.

Final thoughts:
For those who want it, you can also take my recipe of Sulaimani tea from here!

Author's note:

This is part of my #AtoZChallenge where I will be focusing on Real Life Heroes of Kindness and Compassion.

The list for this year's (2018) Heroes of Kindness can be found here.

Of course, I have been tracking these lovely human beings for years now and have found children as young as six years old and old women in their eighties from across the world who will restore your faith in humanity. You can find the entire list of Real-life Heroes of Kindness and Compassion here.