Lucknow Eidgah opens free kitchen for the poor

The Aishbagh Eidgah in Lucknow has set up a community kitchen on the lines of the 'langar' at gurdwaras.

Called 'Langar-e-Adam' or Adam's Kitchen, this is an initiative by the Islamic Centre of India of Darul Uloom.

The Imam of the Eidgah, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, said that the kitchen would be serving pure vegetarian food to around 200 people daily from 7.30.p.m to 9.30.p.m.

He plans to expand the kitchen if the number of guests increases.

"The aim is to feed the poor and hungry every evening throughout the week. This is in line with the message of Islam which talks of service to the poor. Religious places are not only for worship, but also centres of social service, according to Islam. This is why we started the initiative," Maulana Khalid said.

The Imam said that he had been toying with the idea for the past several months and launched the service after Muslims from different walks of life showed interest in the cause.

The kitchen, however, is open for all, irrespective of their caste, religion or class.

"The kitchen will run all seven days of the week but the food will be only vegetarian though the menu will change on a daily basis," the Maulana said.

The Adam-e-Langar has been started as a pilot project and will soon expand it to other religious places of the city.

Explaining the significance of the name 'Adam's Kitchen', Maulana Khalid said: "According to the teachings of Islam, every human on this planet is an offspring of Prophet Adam and this is how we finalized the name."

( With inputs from IANS )