In addition to food donations, the initiative also features a charity counter right next to the fridge.
A sign reads ‘Ayyamittu Unn’, a call to “share the food with the needy before you eat”.(Photo | P Ravikumar, EPS)
Chennai :
The lights flicker on as the fridge door opens. A cool burst of air escapes, revealing neatly arranged packets of home-cooked meals, biscuits, and bottled water—the humble bounty waiting for the city’s hungry. There’s no cashier. No question asked. Only a sign reading ‘Ayyamittu Unn’, a call to “share the food with the needy before you eat”.
Launched in 2017 by Dr M Issa Fathima Jasmine, a Chennai-based dentist, ‘Ayyamittu Unn’ has evolved into the city’s very own food-sharing revolution in the last eight years. What started as a single community fridge in Besant Nagar has now spread to 11 locations across Chennai, from Broadway and Mylapore to Kodambakkam, and the most recent addition in Saligramam’s Kaveri Rangan Nagar.
The concept is brilliantly simple: Place a refrigerator in a public, accessible location, allow anyone to donate surplus food and let those in need take what they require. Open daily from 7 am to 8 pm, these fridges accept sealed, fresh, and wholesome items. To ensure safety, strict guidelines are in place: Only packaged or freshly cooked food is allowed, while raw meat, seafood, eggs, alcohol, and half-eaten meals are strictly prohibited. The focus is on ensuring that generosity meets safety without compromise.
In addition to food donations, the initiative also features a charity counter right next to the fridge. Here, residents can donate books, toys, clothes and other essential items for those in need. A register is meticulously maintained for transparency, while a security guard oversees the process to ensure that both food and other donated goods remain in proper condition and are not misused.
In Kaveri Rangan Nagar, it’s a full-blown community affair. The fridge was set up with the active involvement of Dr Sulaikha, a gynaecologist and daughter of social activist MD Ghani. Ghani, who dedicated his life to improving local infrastructure, left behind a legacy of community service that Dr Sulaikha now honours.
In one modest home on KK Salai, a family has generously provided a portion of their premises to house the refrigerator and manage its daily upkeep. Local businesses, too, have thrown in their support; a nearby hotel contributes six breakfast packets every morning, while residents routinely drop off lunch boxes, biscuits, and even occasional sweet treats.
Community effort ensures that the fridge which is affectionately dubbed ‘Akshaya Patra’ never runs empty (Photo | P Ravikumar, EPS)
For many, the fridge is nothing short of a lifeline. “I get food here at least three days a week. My work hours are unpredictable, so I can’t always be here, but when I do manage to come, it saves me from having to buy meals. Earlier, I mostly relied on roadside vendors—this is safer and more reliable,” says R Rengaraj, a loadman working at the Saligramam market. For Rengaraj, and countless others like him, the fridge not only reduces daily food expenses but also provides the reassurance of a proper meal in a city where hunger often goes unnoticed.
Beyond its practical benefits, ‘Ayyamittu Unn‘ taps into something deeper – a sense of community. The initiative is backed by the Public Foundation (an NGO founded by Dr Jasmine), which handles the logistics and coordination. Dr Issa Fathima and Dr Sulaikha sum it up succinctly.
(Photo | P Ravikumar, EPS)
“‘Ayyamittu Unn’ is not just about food – it’s about trust and a collective commitment to social responsibility. Small acts of kindness can create a huge difference.” Community effort ensures that the fridge — affectionately dubbed Akshaya Patra after the legendary vessel that never runs empty — continues to serve as a reliable source of nourishment.
This is a vibrant example of how local solutions can effectively tackle issues like food waste and hunger simultaneously. In a country where a significant amount of edible food is discarded daily, redirecting surplus to those in need is also a step towards environmental sustainability.
As the initiative continues to gain momentum, there are plans to replicate the model in other parts of the city and even in neighbouring districts. This is not charity with strings. It is not aid from a distance; it is how one neighbour looks out for another.
(Edited by Adarsh TR)
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by S Kumaresan / edited by Adarsh TR / April 06th, 2025
Developed by KMC Mangalore team led by Dr. Haroon, Dr. Sameena, Dr. Chiranjith
Mangalore:
A patent application for a groundbreaking medical device, Device for Monitoring Gynaecological Disorders, has been officially published, marking a significant achievement for the team of doctors and student inventors from Kasturba Medical College (KMC) Mangalore.
The device is designed to enhance early detection and diagnosis of gynaecological disorders. It incorporates a flexible probe, a rotational brush for effective sampling, and an enzyme-coated detection system, improving precision and efficiency in clinical examinations.
The innovation is credited to Dr. Haroon H, Dr. Sameena H, and Dr. Chiranjit Ghosh from MIT, along with student inventors Krisha Janaswamy, Shashank Sanjay, Adithya Harikrishnan Namboothiri, and Shubham Bhusari.
The official Twitter handle of KMC Mangalore also recognized the accomplishment, congratulating the team for their work in medical innovation.
Dr. Haroon is son of M. Hussain and late Akhila Begum from Arehalli village in Hassan while Dr. Sameena Haroon is daughter of KA Sadiq and Maimoona.
Kalpakancheri (Malappuram District), KERALA / Dubai, U.A.E:
Indian recalls journey from being a fundraiser to rebuild a mosque to emerging a tycoon.
A young Azad Moopen at the inauguration of one of his clinics / Image Credit: Supplied
HIGHLIGHTS
Dr Azad Moopen came to the UAE in February 1987 to raise money for the renovation of a mosque in his hometown, Kalpakancheri in Malappuram district, Kerala.
Dr Moopen leased a two-bedroom apartment in Bur Dubai to start a clinic
In 2008, Dr Moopen invited a private equity firm to invest in the company and they valued Aster DM Healthcare at $100 million.
In 2010 and 2011, Dr Moopen was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and Padma Shri, respectively, by the Government of India.
Aster DM is listed at NSE and BSE
Dubai:
Azad Moopen came to Dubai 34 years ago to raise money for the renovation of a mosque in his hometown, Kalpakancheri, in the Malappuram district, Kerala. He needed Rs1 million then, or Dh250,000 as per the currency exchange rate in 1987. The plan was just to collect the funds and return home. He had no intention to settle in the UAE.
Destiny, however, had other plans for Moopen – a gold medallist in general medicine and a lecturer at the Calicut Medical College at the time. Looking back, Moopen said it was this noble intention that perhaps set the background for something big to happen in his life.
Fast forward to today, he is now a household name in the UAE. Just about everybody in the region knows him well as the multi-billion dollar businessman and developer of health-care facilities in the UAE and Asia-Pacific region. He is the chairman and managing director of Aster DM Healthcare, a conglomerate in the Middle East and India that Moopen founded in December 1987, just ten months after arriving in the UAE to raise funds for a mosque.
According to a report published in September 2018, he owned and managed 21 hospitals, 113 clinics and 216 pharmacies. The health-care company serves 50,000 patients a day in nine countries. In 2018, Aster treated 17 million patients across all its facilities. Of this these, 15 million patients were from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, while two million were from India.
In 2017, Forbes ranked him sixth on the ‘Top 100 Indian Leaders in UAE’ list and his total wealth was estimated at approximately $5.9 billion (Dh21.7 billion).
How it all started
“When I finished collecting money for the mosque reconstruction, my job was over in the UAE. It was time to return home, but when I went home, I was not happy. There was something pulling me back to this country as there was magic here,” said Moopen. “In June (1987), I came back on a visit to the UAE. I stayed with a friend in Ajman who was a doctor as well. There were plenty of opportunities for a doctor like me and I was raring to tap into some of them.”
Azad Moopen receives a Lifetime Achievement Award / Image Credit: Supplied
Moopen’s friend was setting up a clinic in Ajman and he invited him to join there as a physician. Back in the day, there were no post-graduate doctors practising in Ajman and Moopen, who was a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) and a Doctor of Medicine, with a a Diploma in treating Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases (DTCD), was already highly qualified. In fact, his varied degrees made him quite a sought-after doctor in Ajman.
“But my friend bowled me a googlie, as we say in cricketing terms! He turned around one day and told me to start a clinic in Dubai. To be honest, I thought he did not like me and that’s why he was pushing me away to Dubai. But I took his advice and today, I believe he is my guardian angel. That moment, when I heeded his advise and came to Dubai, it was the turning point in my life. I know now he was a friend, he was a God-sent and he is ‘the person’ in my life.”
No matter how successful you become in life, you never forget the people who helped you along the way. And this, to me, has been the biggest reason for my success.
– Azad Moopen
In December 1987, Moopen leased a two-bedroom apartment in Bur Dubai close to the Port Rashid area. “Port Rashid was one of the main areas in Dubai where there were many ongoing activities. A lot of people worked here and I wanted to serve them.”
He said the consultation charges were between Dh10 and 15. Some people got reimbursement from their companies while others paid the bills from their pocket.
“The challenge, however, was collecting money from some blue collared workers who could not afford to pay even this amount. So every Tuesday we started offering free consultations for half a day. We also kept sample medicines which we gave to these workers.”
Within a year, the clinic started receiving 100 patients a day. There were just two doctors – Moopen and a gynaecologist.
Dr. Azad Moopen receiving an award from late Indian President APJ Kalam / Image Credit: Supplied
“I myself worked from 8 in the morning until mid-night. But it was becoming very congested and we needed to move to a bigger place,” he said. “I found a three-bedroom apartment in Al Rafa and we moved there. We hired two more doctors – both paediatricians. We were able to see more patients as a result.”
By that time in 1988, Moopen was getting a hang of running a health-care facility. “One of the things we discovered early on was that people came to us for consultation, but were picking up medicines from another pharmacy. So, we thought why not make this in-house? And that is how Al Rafa Pharmacy was born.”
Moopen said that in 2008, he had his real brush with success. “Until then, I was just doing my job of opening clinics, hospitals and pharmacies. I was not really counting or sitting down to see and evaluate the success of my business. In 2008, as part of our expansion plans, we invited a private equity firm to invest with us. They valued our company at $100 million and that reality hit me. We had grown and how! It was an emotional moment for me, reading the valuation report and made me think of how hard the company staff and me had worked to bring it that far,” he said.
Dr. Azad Moopen with his youngest daughter Zeba Moopen who is now a practicing doctor / Image Credit: Supplied
In 2012, a second private equity firm came on board and they valued Aster DM Healthcare at $400 million. “This means we had grown four times in four years. It was massive.”
Today, Aster DM is listed at the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and the company’s total revenue in 2019 was fixed at a massive $1.4 billion.
Reason behind this phenomenal success
“Without batting an eyelid I will say that it is my staff, my people, my doctors who have made this company successful. I am blessed and lucky to have these people working for me for decades. Our doctor turnover at the consultant level is as low as five per cent. This means our doctors practically never leave us. And, because of this, our patients never leave us.
Azad Moopen with cricketer Sachin Tendulkar during the latter’s book launch. / Image Credit: Supplied
“No matter how successful you become in life, you never forget the people who helped you along the way. And this, to me, has been the biggest reason for my success. To give you an example, the other day, one of my CEOs brought me a staff member’s performance report. He wanted me to fire him as he was not performing well. When I saw the report I realised he was an old friend’s son. This friend, I remember, had loaned me Dh500 when I had come to the UAE for the first time.”
“As the memories flooded me, I simply refused to sign the sack letter. Instead, I called this young boy and his father and told them about the report. From my part, I have given this boy a second chance. I pray he will make use of the opportunity given to him.”
Challenges
Dr. Moopen during one of his philanthropic activities / Image Credit: Supplied
“There are always challenges in business. If you want your career graph to have a smooth ride, then you must not pick business as your profession. Success in business lies in finding your challenges and meeting them head-on,” said Moopen.
“For example, the UAE’s mandatory insurance has proved to be beneficial for the consumer, but for health-care providers like us, it is a challenge. People would come to us because of our credibility. Now, it has to do with the kind of insurance coverage they have.”
Philanthropy the way to life
Moopen has pledged to give 20 per cent of his wealth to charity. An off-shoot of this has been the ‘Aster Volunteers’ programme to help patients with free consultations, treatment and surgeries. More than 900,000 lives have been touched by the programme.
Dr. Moopen with his family in an earlier picture / Image Credit: Supplied
In 2010 and 2011, Moopen was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and Padma Shri, respectively, by the Government of India.
Dr. Azad Moopen awarded the coveted Padma Shri in 2011 / Image Credit: Supplied
“By God’s grace, I have everything in life. Name, fame, wealth, a great family. It is my duty and responsibility now to help others. When I started out, I was in the right place at the right time with the right people. I want others to be in my shoes. I am nearing retirement and my only dream now is to hand over my business to my team of professionals who, I believe, will do a better job than me.”
