50,000 people across Kerala hospitals now rely on DYFI food packs, and ‘politics’ is to thank

In 2017, DYFI began by distributing free food to 100 people in Thiruvananthapuram. Today, the initiative feeds nearly 50,000 people across Kerala’s hospitals daily.

People queuing up at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College for DYFI food packs | Aneesa PA | ThePrint

Thiruvananthapuram: On 26 August, 61-year-old Vijayan K. was up at 1 am, cooking for a mass lunch. An agricultural labourer with a Rs 500 daily wage, he had spent the evening buying Rs 1,300 worth of vegetables, which he cleaned and cut with help from his wife and two children.

By 8 am, Vijayan and his wife had cooked 25 meal packets, each including a curry, avial, two dry dishes and fish. Wrapped in banana leaves and newspaper, the meals were contributed that day for the mega food parcel initiative by Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) that feeds nearly 50,000 people across Kerala’s hospitals every day.

DYFI is the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

“We have spent many days in the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College for different needs. We know how much it costs, and how a free lunch can be a big help,” said 24-year-old Vaidharani, Vijayan’s daughter.

On Tuesday, as ThePrint visited the hospital, a long queue of men, women with children, and elderly people was already forming inside the college at 11 am. By 1 pm, the crowd had swelled into thousands, with a few DYFI volunteers stationed to man the queue.

“It’s a good initiative. That’s why there are so many takers. The food is also really good,” said 52-year-old Sobha, in line to collect lunch for her pregnant daughter-in-law, admitted at the hospital with diabetes-related complications during her third trimester.

A resident of Nedumangad, Sobha said that she had also collected the meal package Monday after another visitor in the ward recommended it. “We have been admitted here for a week, and it’s expensive to buy medicine and food for three people, three times a day. This has been a great help,” she said. A meal from the medical college canteen costs Rs 90, which can go up to Rs 140 if fish is included.

DYFI volunteers at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College | Aneesa PA | ThePrint

Named “Hridayapoorvam (from the heart)”, the food parcel initiative was launched in January 2017 at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College by a regional unit of DYFI.

The success and mass public participation encouraged other district units of the organisation to adopt the model, and today it provides up to nearly 50,000 home-cooked meals across 70 government hospitals in the state, including all medical colleges, to patients and visitors for free.

According to DYFI, the initiative aims to provide nutritious food to patients and others, who are already reeling under health expenses, through community participation. It is led in every district by the DYFI district committee concerned, which assigns individual area committees the responsibility to collect meals from their localities in rotating turns.

Interested households can contribute as many packages as they like. While some like Vijayan’s family offer 25, even one pack is welcome.

“There is politics to it. At a time when there are divisions in society based on religion, caste and politics, people are preparing meals for those they don’t even know,” says DYFI state secretary V.K. Sanoj, adding that the organisation has managed to keep it going without a single day’s gap since 2017, even on holidays and festivals like Onam.

From 100 to thousands

The idea of Hridayapoorvam was first conceived by DYFI’s Vanchiyoor area committee in Thiruvananthapuram on 1 January, 2017.

“There were just 100 packages that day distributed at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. We didn’t even know people would line up to take these meals,” said advocate M. Nidheesh, DYFI Vanchiyoor block secretary. The organisation slowly ramped up the initiative to its present scale with the overwhelming response from villages willing to cook the meals, he added. The number of receivers of the food parcels also grew over time.

Cut to 2025. Nearly 5,000 meal packages are delivered at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College alone every day. For smooth functioning, each district unit prepares the schedule for each area committee well in advance for the entire year, with one committee distributing the parcels once every six months.

However, despites its success, the initiative has also faced criticism. In 2023, then state Youth Congress president Rahul Mamkootathil—who stepped down from the post and was suspended from the party earlier this month, following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct—had alleged that “illegal activities” were being undertaken by DYFI under the garb of the initiative. After Rahul’s exit, DYFI responded to the criticism by wrapping the food parcels in newspapers carrying the news of his suspension.

“Many Congress leaders themselves have told the Youth Congress to learn from DYFI about grassroots mobilisation after they lost the last Assembly polls. Rahul’s comments came because of that. But we are going to continue no matter what. It’s not just Left supporters who take part. Everyone knows that if they give us a few meals, they will reach those in need,” Sanoj said.

Behind the scenes

On Tuesday, DYFI’s Kilimanoor block committee in the Thiruvananthapuram district was assigned the task of collecting meal packets. But for Akhil V.S., an executive member of the committee, the process began well before the morning of 26 August. Notices for collection were distributed in the locality two days prior. On Monday night, he and other party members went door to door to remind the residents.

On Tuesday morning, Akhil, along with seven others, collected around 5,000 packages from 1,800–2,000 houses, starting 8 am, before setting off at 11 am for Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, nearly 40 km away.

“Collection is difficult. Many of us are working and have taken a day’s leave, and even college students have classes. So it’s hard to finish the collection on time with a small team,” said Akhil, who works as an accountant at the local panchayat. The initiative enjoys strong community support, with households contributing as many meal packages as they can, he added.

After different teams collect food packets from villages, smooth distribution is ensured by a team of volunteers stationed at the hospital.

“People are supporting us. Earlier, we had doubts whether households would contribute. But even BJP and Congress supporters, who initially saw this as a party initiative, are contributing now. Some of them even prepared Biryani,” Nidheesh said, adding that the party does not collect cash in place of food. He also noted that volunteers distributing the food at the hospital often go in for blood donation, when they arrive with the packets.

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)