Philanthropist’s family donates country’s largest cooking pot to Bidyanondo
Photo: Bidyanondo Facebook page
“>
Photo: Bidyanondo Facebook page
Twenty years ago, a man from Mohammadpur in Dhaka made a cooking pot, said to be the largest in the country, to feed the poor once a year. It’s been his family tradition ever since.
It is estimated that the 12 x 6 foot vessel is capable of cooking for around 10,000 people if each tray contains 300 grams of food.
After he died of a Covid-19 infection in 2020, family members decided to donate the giant pot to someone who can continue the charitable work of its original purpose of feeding those in need. .
They chose the Bidyanondo Foundation, a social welfare organization famous for helping the poor. The foundation formally received the kitty on November 11 from the philanthropist’s family, who preferred to remain anonymous.
“The Bidyanondo Foundation has been greatly inspired by the philosophy of the late philanthropist and wishes to continue his legacy of food,” Bidyanondo Foundation communications manager Salman Khan Yeasin told Business Standard on Saturday.
Previously, Bidyanondo, a nonprofit that has been helping the poor community in Bangladesh since 2013, had custom-built two huge woks (deep pots with round bottoms) for its kitchen in Dhaka and Keraniganj. They can each cook for about 3,500 people.
“We decided to install the pot in our kitchen in Kurigram because the district and its adjoining areas are prone to annual flooding and also because we process our largest Eid-ul-Adha based donations from this kitchen,” the Bidyanondo spokesperson said, adding that the huge container will be used on occasions when a larger quantity meal needs to be prepared.
Shortly after the installation is completed, Bidyanondo’s Kurigram kitchen will start using the pot, hopefully within a week, he added.