The past week has led to a lot of people longing for ‘work-from-home’ shifts again. Not just because of rising Covid concerns, but because of the weather – with the mercury rising daily like petrol prices.
Water feels like oxygen now and cold water a godsend. Seeing this growing need, a community fridge with 30 bottles of cold water has been set up outside 30 Alimuddin Street. From students of St. James’ and Pratt Memorial schools to auto drivers and passers-by, this fridge is providing free cold water to anyone in the vicinity.
A brainchild of ‘social opportunist’ Mudar Patherya and philanthropist Tauseef Rahman, the idea came about when Patherya’s daughter, Kaamila, found such a service freely available in Qatar. She promptly shared the installation’s picture with her father, and he thought of starting something similar in Kolkata, with the help of Rahman.
A cooler with free cold water, in Qatar
“Tauseef and I decided to do the same in Alimuddin Street. While people have access to water, we decided to provide cool, filtered water. We thought people would only have it in the evenings because of Ramzan, but it's incredible how the fridge is being used throughout the day,” said Patherya.
Rahman decided to take the line from his own electricity meter, and install the fridge outside his building on April 9. As someone who has been providing free meals in the area for a long time, he saw it as a way to extend the service to free cold water.
The fridge and the service is used throughout the day
“Today, a fridge isn’t a luxury anymore, but a basic necessity. It is extremely sad that many people don’t have access to free cool drinking water, and this is a small effort by us to bring cold water to everyone,” he said.
The fridge almost always has someone availing the facility. The local community has also stepped up to refill the bottles once they are empty and stock it in the fridge. “Some people even keep sherbet in the evenings,” chuckled Rahman. “I think the most heartening thing is that people from lower economic backgrounds benefit the most,” added Patherya.
‘I think the most heartening thing is that people from lower economic backgrounds benefit the most,’ said Patherya
Rahman emphasised that this shouldn’t be a one-off case and people from other localities can easily replicate this model. “One can procure a second-hand fridge for Rs 4,000. If enough people in the locality contribute anywhere between Rs 100 to 500, they can easily raise the funds to get a fridge installed and provide cold water to passers-by. I hope such offerings spring up in every part of the city.”
Patherya agreed, adding, “We need dependable partners who work at the ground level, or maybe have shops or offices provide the service near the locality where they want the installation. If we find such people, we can definitely expand.”