WhatsApp is the most sought-after messaging app. It is also perhaps the most abused and misused platform. Especially in the wake of COVID-19 crisis, with false, unreliable information and news it caused panic. Authorities took the matter seriously and warned of dire consequences to group admins. Suddenly, WhatsApp group admins changed settings to curb fake messages. Groups are now in restricted mode with only the Group Admins allowed to post messages. There are thousands of WhatsApp chat groups for every whim and fancy with no seriousness accorded to them. But here is one WhatsApp group that is bound to change your perception.
‘Brothers for Fun’, a WhatsApp chat group setup by some of the members of Freemasons community in Telangana in the year 2014 has come with a novel idea. The group comprising of 220 members from different walks of society initiated ‘Project Bun’, an initiative to distribute 1000 Buns and Bananas to begin with for breakfast to GHMC(Greater Municipal Corporaration of Hyderabad) sweepers and workers, migrant labour, slum and street dwellers. From ‘Brothers for Fun’ it rechristened itself to ‘Brothers for Bun’.
Project Bun commenced on 17th April. The Buns and Bananas are distributed everyday morning at 7am at Victory Play Goundm bear Chaderghat. The response was overwhelming and scores of people have come forward to contribute to the cause, shared Madan MohalLal, G. Maddulete and D. Ramchandram, Assistant Regional Grand Masters of Freemasons of Telangana. In the next 17 days (till the Lockdown)Project Bun aims to distribute over 41,000 buns and bananas.
Bread is a wholesome food and a good source of proteins, minerals and carbohydrates. It is nutritious, easy to pack and distribute. It also has a long shelf life, shared Group Admins Nitin Sinha, Suresh Khemani, Varinderpal, Rajkumar Muppineni, Sagar Gala, RamanaGudipati and Dr. Giridhar of ‘Brothers for Fun’rechristened ‘Brothers for Bun’temporarily till the COVID lockdown.
Adds Srinivasan who created the group in the year 2014 that he is not aware of any WhatsApp Groups taking up service projects as big as what we have undertaken.
Not only Freemasons, we have got positive response from non-members too who have generously contributed to ‘Project Bun’ inform P. Veerabhadrudu, PrafulSahgal, Nitin Sinha, S. P. Chandu and G. Ashok Kumar who oversee the distribution every day. We started with 250 buns for day and now we reached 1000 a day as the need went up. We don’t even mind going beyond 41, 000 on the whole till the present lockdown ends, they proclaim.
Project Bun was born out of a problem the members came across during the distribution of cooked food to the poor and the needy during the lockdown period. They observed that people were collecting more food. Enquiring about it, they came to know that people were keeping it for dinner as most of the NGOs and others served food during daytime. There was scarce or no food at night due to the clampdown of the curfew. But, due to the summer heat most of the food they kept aside got spoilt and was unfit for consumption at dinnertime. It forced the people to forgo their dinner and go to sleep on an empty stomach.
A random glance on a Facebook post by Hyderabad-based event management professional Neeraj Thakur about “Project Double Roti” we first came to know about Project Double Roti. Then we found on the net a 16-year-old Gurgaon student Taira Bhargava set in motion Project Bun, in the year 2019 itself informed D. Ramchandram, who is also the member of the WhatsApp Group “Bros for Fun”. We felt that bun was ideal as it was easy to store, had nutritional value and longer shelf-life, he added.
The name of the WhatsApp group ‘Bros for Fun’ was suddenly changed to ‘Brothers for Bun’ with a beautifully designed DP surprising the group members. When the members enquired about it, the purpose was explained and it won the backing of numerous group members. Small promotional videos and posts on the subject helped raise contributions from Freemasons in Telangana. Telangana has about 23 Freemasonic Lodges(Clubs) namely: Mayo, Morland, Ekram, Hyderabad 50, Italia Wiliams Manian, Rakshna Sena, Naoshir Chenoy, Secunderabad, Perfect, Abhayarudra, Keys No. 297, BML, Eagle, Model Lodge, Engineers, Daylight, Lodge Telangana, Lodge Juris, Lodge Lewis, Lodge Bankers, Neelagiri and Lodge AVM Lala. Non-Freemason members comprised of their friends, family members, relatives, business associates, etc. added Madan Mohan and Maddulete.
It is very strange and unimaginable that a WhatsApp group of like-minded people who joined for a cause of fun can take up such a novel service project costing few lakhs. I got hooked by their video and instantly transferred some amount towards the same shared Vasantha from a NGO.
Project Bun by Hyderabad-based WhatsApp Group Bros for Fun which has now become Brothers for Bun is very laudable one and need of the hour. I congratulate Brothers for Fun group for their thoughtfulness and I wish them all the very best in their endeavor, remarked Taira Bhargava, the teenager behind Project Double Roti,
Neeraj Thakur, who initiated Project Double Roti in our city through Facebook post is also lending a helping hand by supplying some buns. There is a huge demand for food. A lot of people are starving. Project Bun is great motivation and inspiration for other WhatsApp groups in the countrydeclared Neeraj.
