“Adab ke Sheher se koi bhooka nahi jaayega (No one will leave Lucknow — the city of etiquettes — hungry)
This is the goal, Wahid Biryani, famous for their Awadhi cuisine in the capital of Uttar Pradesh, have in mind. For the first time in their 65-year old history, they have turned vegetarian for a noble cause — to feed thousands of migrants passing through Lucknow on their way home amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
The popular eatery has been feeding over 1,500 migrants every day for the past ten days. The platter includes all things vegetarian, from Navratan biryani, to veg kebabs, bun makkhan, biscuits, sharbat, and milk.
“Those who have small children, who cannot eat, milk is for them especially. We talk to the mothers to take it along with them, because it may be long before they get it again on their journey back home,” Naushad Ali Quraishi of Wahid Biryani told The Quint.
They have set up stalls at four different locations on the city’s outskirts, at Agra Expressway, where Naushad works with his elder brother and the owner of the outlet, Abid Ali Quraishi.
The other areas are Sitapur Road, Shaheed Path and Polytechnic Chowk.
‘No Migrant Will Leave Lucknow Hungry’
Given that Ramzaan is on, the two brothers, along with around 50 members of their staff, have been fasting while working all day to serve the food so no migrant leaves hungry. However, they feel their fast is nothing in comparison to the troubles of the migrants, who don’t know when their next meal will be.
The team begins work around 11 am in the morning and reaches their locations in the afternoon, and only gets done at 11 pm to midnight. They take a break for sehri at night, and then the cycle continues.
Abid said, “The migrants tell us that they have been coming from over 1,000 kms, and no one has treated them with respect, but they have come here and eaten, and that made them feel like they belong to this country.”
“Some of them barely have any clothes on, have no food and are exhausted, when they finally have a meal, they have raised their hands to the sky in gratitude and have thanked us,” said Naushad.
Naushad also said while their actions might seem noble, and that the workers are thanking them, in reality, the suffering of the migrants has pierced their hearts.
Wahid Biryani was established in 1955 by Abid’s grandfather Aladdin. Becoming a family business, Abid’s father expanded it, and now Abid and his brothers have taken over the reins of the business.