MOSQUE AT MOONNAKKAL: DISTRIBUTING FREE RICE TO 3500 HOUSEHOLDS
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| Mosque at Moonnakkal village, Malappuram |
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The rising cost of rice or its availability in the ration shop do not bother the people of Moonnakkal village, Malappuram. For at least twice a month, each of the 841 households in the village get not less than 10 kg of rice – gratis!
This free distribution of rice is facilitated under the auspices of the local Mosque. Nor is the distribution restricted to the village alone. Around 3500 households in the neighbourhood receive 5 kg of rice at a time.
The organizers have issued identity cards for the beneficiaries. And the beneficiaries place more value on these cards than on their ration cards. Rice distribution is an instance of religious harmony too. For irrespective of their caste or religion, the beneficiaries are given the largesse made available from offerings by devotees who have firm faith in the efficacy of this mode of pleasing the Almighty.
On an average the mosque receives 300 bags of rice per week. During the month of Ramadan the offering may go up to about 4 to 5 times this quantity. The beneficiaries get their share accordingly.
Sunday afternoons are like festival days in the mosque premises when people come to collect their share of rice. An 18-member committee oversees the distribution process with commitment and efficiency.
The mosque is estimated to be 800 years old. There is a legend behind the construction of the temple, which too adds up to the religious amity in the area. The land for the mosque, it is believed, was gifted by a Namboodiri as thanksgiving to a 'siddhan' for curing his daughter of some vexing disease. That amity and tolerance is reflected in the service activity of the present times too.
Beneficiaries at the
mosque to collect rice
Courtesy: Thoppil Shajahan (text), Shaju Thomas (photo), Sree, Malayala Manorama, November 10, 2002
Contributed by: Administrator
