Jagdish Lal Ahuja, 82, Chandigarh, serves free meals to the poor

 
As a black jeep comes to a halt outside Chandigarh’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), a tall, well-built, silver-bearded octogenarian, dressed in white kurta-pyjama, steps out, enquiring in a thunderous tenor, “Is the food over?” Meet Jagdish Lal Ahuja, popularly known as langar-wale babaji. Since 1982, he has been serving langar daily without fail. What began as a one-off treat for his elder son’s eighth birthday outside his shop became a regular affair, with the venue subsequently shifting to PGIMER by 2001. Each day, food is cooked and served to 500 people on the pedestrian walkway outside the hospital. “I used to sell dal and sweets at railway stations to earn a living. I know what poverty is,” says Ahuja, his eyes welling up. “It is His grace that I survived it all and today can be of service to others.” The freshly cooked meal comprises rice, chapattis, rajma-aloo and halwa. Packet snacks for children and bananas are also served. Ram Saran, an auto-rickshaw driver who has enjoyed the meals several times, notes, “Though many organise langar in this area, none can match up to bauji because his preparation is clean and tastes good.” Originally from Peshawar, Ahuja and his family migrated to Patiala when he was just 12. Nine years later, Ahuja shifted to Chandigarh and started a fruit business. Dhani Ram, who oversees the distribution of the free meals, and has worked with Ahuja for 22 years, says, “Thanks to his thriving business, he is called the ‘banana king’ of Chandigarh.” The 82 year-old, who has been feeding the poor without a break for 36 years, also donates blankets, shoes, socks and sweaters during winters. Ahuja, who has seen bankruptcy and was afflicted with cancer in the past, has even sold some of his properties to continue sponsoring langar. Asserting that his biggest learning has been that “everything is transient”, he says, “I wish to do this till my last breath.”

—Suparna-Saraswati Puri

Photo: Sanjay Sharma
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
July 2018