With the rise in food bank usage across the UK, there are many people across Nottingham who are struggling to source the basic human need .
Indi Abhol, 34, is a train manager at East Midlands Railway and has decided to do something to help those people. Being from Toton, he has decided to help his local community during this difficult time.
Indi was inspired by Zero Hunger for Langar- a charity set up based on the Sikh term ‘Langar’ meaning community kitchen- which has seen Sikh temples providing food to homeless communities around the world as well as in Nottingham.
“Feeding people is a key value of Sikhism and I wanted to use that in what I was doing”
Indi Abhol, 34, Train Manager at East Midlands Railways
Although he is not a practicing Sikh himself, the core principle of providing food to the community is one that stuck with him.
Indi said “a working class person like myself can appreciate hardship and why it is important to provide this food.”
As Indi has experienced mental health issues himself in the past, he empathised with the stress and anxieties that come with not being able to feed yourself or your family.
With this in mind, Indi decided to begin some cooking of his own. His home-cooked food, under the name ‘Indi’s Rasoi’ which he registered with Broxtowe Borough council in March last year, has allowed Indi to sell some of his culinary delights as a “homemade chef.”
If you are unable;e afford the home-cooked dishes that Indi has made, he has been offering Zoom tutorials for people who do not know how to cook.
Clients send Indi a recipe that they would like to make and they organise a date and time for him to guide them through the process, whilst cooking it himself at home.
He said, “it has been a lot of curries and I know most about Indian cooking, but mainly it’s a way to reach out to someone for a few hours and have a chat.”
Indi said how, from working on the railways, he is exposed to a lot of suicide, and if he can help people in whatever way possible with his cooking and support, then he will be thankful.
As well as all of the other lines of culinary support, Indi will quite often cook up a big batch of chicken curry for his friends and family, “I let them know beforehand to put some rice on and I deliver it to them free of charge. I do it because I enjoy helping people.”
He remained focused on the point that the key to tackling the increase in mental health issues is reaching out to people, which has been the focus for all of Indi’s work throughout the pandemic.
By Adam Baker
