Hyderabad: NGO providing succour to marginalised sections

Barkas: Be it from within the community or others, the 'Barkas Bait-ul-Maal Society' – a charitable organization in Old City's Barkas is always ready to extend a helping hand to the needy.

People living in Barkas, which was an area of military barracks in the erstwhile Nizam's Hyderabad State belong to an Arab Community. They stand different from others for their culture believes which include wearing Lungis, Mushajjara(headwear) and Arba chapels, besides there their culinary delicacies like mouth wateringharees and haleem besides aseed, a staple sweet dish of Yemen.

They also carry a niche over others in rendering community service for the people within the community and beyond.

They provide almost all the essential commodities including medicines, matches boxes, clothes, pampers, pediatric medical instruments, information about hospital beds, dead body freezer box, oxygen cylinders, vehicle for transportation dead bodies to graveyard and grocery.

The objective of the association is to keep itself ready to carry out needbase supply in order to ensure that the needy won't suffer into the hands of misery and get timely support at their difficult time.

Every month they organize monthly ration distribution program at their office in Barkasirrespective of any disaster or calamity.

"Over 65 families from surrounding areas like ErraKunta, Muntaz Bagh, Ballaguda, Kothapet and Chandrayangutta besides Barkas and Salala attend the food distribution program on 5th of every month at our office in Barkas to collect the ration kits. We provide them Ration kits worth Rs.1500 to Rs.2200. The kit comprises rice bag, chilli powder, edible oil, salt, turmeric and pulses according to the size of the family," informed Mohammed Bin Ahmed Baakra, the President of Barkas Bait-ul-Maal.

All these generous contributions to our association come from the well off community people residing in Middle East and other western countries and some local well-off families, individuals and business houses, he added.

"Though the society was initially formed to reach out people living in Barkas only, which soon received applauds from families living in Barkas, Middle East and in European countries. Thereby everyone reinforced our enthusiasm and now are helping us to extend the service to the surrounding areas," Said Mahmood Bin Mohammed Awalqi, Vice President Barkas Bait-ul-Maal Society.

Moreover, during the lockdown when shifting dead bodies became difficult, they arranged the vehicle to transport the departed souls to the graveyard.

We perform community service vigorously and undauntedly not just to aid people to live a better life but also to please the almighty, they asserted.