Three years ago, when 30-year-old police constable Dayanand Jamadar alighted from a bus at Surpur bus stand in Yadgir district after his duty of escorting an under trial to a court, he came across a distraught woman trying to forage something from her surroundings.
When Dayanand made an enquiry, she hesitated to look at the Khaki-clad man. But when comforted, she revealed that she was hungry and was looking for some food. Dayanand rushed to a nearby hotel and came back with a packet of curd rice. Immediately, she grabbed the packet and started eating while tears flowed down her cheeks.
That night, Dayanand had a night of disturbed sleep. Memories from his student days when his widowed mother who sold vegetables struggled to get one square meal a day kept resurfacing. He even recalled the three straight days he had to sleep on an empty stomach when his payment was delayed while he worked as a security guard.
The next morning, Dayanand woke up with a firm decision that would come as a silver lining in the lives of several helpless and homeless people. He had experienced hunger and did not want others to suffer hunger. He decided to give some food to the hungry and destitute. He fetched some food packets from a hotel, looked around the bus stand, places of worship and other crowded places to locate the hungry and fed them.
The next day, he noticed that more hungry people came looking out for him. As time passed, he provided food regularly to around 15 needy people. Dayanand spent around one-fourth of his modest salary on feeding the needy. He even began providing fruits, clothes, blankets and some such essential items to them.
Later, when he got married, his wife joined him in his efforts. His wife Devika too had seen extreme poverty and extended a helping hand with no second thought. Now Devika cooks food twice a day and Dayanand distributes it. When Dayanand is on duty, two of his friends help him in distributing the food.
"I cook rice items like pulav in the morning and chapatis and other items for the evening meals. My husband helps me in chopping vegetables and carrying out other household chores when at home," said Devika, who is pursuing BSc.
She admits that the work of cooking food for so many people every day is a strenuous task but it gives her immense happiness.
Serving humanity
During the Covid lockdown last year, many people lost their livelihood and were left hungry. Dayanand, spending over half of his salary, bought more groceries and since then, has been providing food to around 50-60 people every day. Along with the food, he gives packed drinking water bottles (which he buys at a subsidised price) to beggars, destitute, mentally and some physically disabled persons.
Ask him how he manages his household after spending a majority of his salary on feeding people and Dayanand is quick to answer. "I never bother about how much I have and how much I am saving. I have enough to feed my family today and that is it. Even my wife does not expect any luxury. However, I have one thing that not many wealthy people might have--the satisfaction of serving humanity."
Dayanand, who hails from Bhoopal Tegnur in Kalaburagi taluk, joined the police force in 2016. He completed his BA while engaging in part-time jobs, and passed the police constable exam in the first attempt.
"Dayanand is doing a wonderful job of feeding those in need. He has also gone the extra mile in creating awareness on Covid-19 and the use of mask and sanitisers among people. His enthusiasm and willingness to help people motivate other police personnel too," said Yadgir Superintendent of Police C B Vedhamurthy who has been personally helping Dayanand in his good work.
Apart from feeding people, Dayanand has also been helping a few youngsters from his village to continue their studies.