LEGACY

By Rahul Ray, Massachusetts

and techniques – I reasoned. Teaching is rewarding but can be a drag sometimes.

I need a new career, perhaps not full-time, but a parttime vocation that can be satisfying in my ripe years. It cannot be a money-making affair. If I have not made money by now, I will not make itat this stage of life - I chuckled to myself self-consciously. This took a load off my mind – a vocation that can fill my mind, but not my pocketbook! It is needless to say that I feel comfortable with our family’s financial situation.

Armed with this confidence, I recently made a long stride at a pastime that I long hankered for but could not fulfill. But let us keep our focus on Meals on wheels.

In search of a new calling in my senior years, the idea of giving back to society weighed heavily on my mind. All immigrants, including myself almost without fail try to hold on to the cultural, social, and religious heritage of the land that we still call ‘home’ but chose not to live there. However, almost in no time, the new society, with its unique social, cultural, and other aspects seep into our being. We rapidly start assimilating those values to become ‘new Americans’. For me, belonging to the American society quickly opened my eyes to many facets including the awareness of charitable giving that permeates every level in this societywith dominant JudeoChristian values.

Here, giving to others is taught almost from the very beginning. My two sons often brought back papers from school about charitable giving to some cause or other. On Halloween night, little children go around the neighborhood, trick or treating for candies. Many of them carry orange UNICEF paper boxes to collect money for the world’s children. It was most definitely an eye-opener for me - children are taught early in their life to give to the less fortunate through their school. In other words, charitable giving is hammered into their mind through the schools they go to.

I do not mean to imply that the Indian society that

I was born into is devoid of charitable giving. Many nongovernmental organizations, including Bharat Sevashram Sangha, and Ramakrishna Mission are perpetually involved in helping the poor and down-trodden. Yet, the idea of charitable giving, leaving out donations strictly to religious causes and institutions, is neither taught nor it is institutionalized. Therefore, helping the poor and downtrodden monetarily or otherwise is left to individuals with a big heart or a high ideal.

My mother was one such person. She was a communist party activist, and even with her family’s meager resources she felt compelled to help the poor. Therefore, smitten by her ideals she regularly visited nearby slums to help poor women to get them connected to people and places where they can get at least an elementary education for free. She also tried to get shelter and legal help for women who were abused by their husbands.

It is not a surprise that I inherited my mother’s penchant for charitable work, which is why the idea of charitable giving in American society drew my attention so strongly. When our two sons were growing up, my wife and I gave them small sums of pocket money every month as is customary. We mandated that they set aside a certain percentage of that money, and at the end of the year, they give that money away to any charitable organization of their choosing. On various parents’ days and Christmas etc., we encouraged them to give money to a charity of their liking. We, like many others, have been giving to various charitable causes for a very long time. For me, this is what it means to be a good American.

However, I have not offered my physical labor to any charitable cause, except for acting as a server for a few weekends in a soup kitchen in Boston, led by the late Swamy Sarvagatananda, the minister at the Ramakrishna Mission, Boston. Therefore, after I decided to retire instead of hanging on to my career, I looked up various avenues to offer my service. This search led me to meet with Pam Norton, a very pleasant woman, and staff at the Council on aging in the town I live. She, herself a driver of Meals on wheels encouraged me to join the rank.

I looked up ‘Meals on wheels’ (MOW) on the internet. The website for Meals on Wheels, Tampa summarizes the motto and modus operandi of MOW succinctly- “Meals on Wheels operates in virtually every community in America through a network of more than 5,000 independentlyrun local programs, supported by over two million volunteers. While the diversity of each program’s services and operations may vary based on the needs and resources of their communities, all are committed to delivering nutritious meals, friendly visits, and safety checks that enable America’s homebound to live nourished lives with independence and dignity.”1

For a brief history of this program, I quote from the same website again –“The first-ever home-delivered meal program in the United States began in Philadelphia in January 1954. A social worker pioneered a program to provide nourish- ment that met the dietary needs of homebound seniors and other “shut-ins” in the area who otherwise would have to go hungry. Most of the volunteers were high school students, who were dubbed “Platter Angels.” The “Platter Angels” would prepare, package, and deliver food to the elderly and disabled through their community.”1, 2

The MOW program has thrived since to significantly improve food insecurity among elders. The MOW program has also significantly reduced government expenditure by contributing to the general good health of the seniors, thus reducing their need to seek medical help through hospitals, nursing homes, etc.

A pertinent question to ask in this context is -what is the funding source to run this program? The answer is complex because various resources are tapped into to provide meals for seniors. Most interestingly, more than 75% of funding comes from individual donations, and foundation funding.3 Federal block grants under the Older American Act enacted by President John F. Kennedy, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also contribute towards, albeit small, funding for MOW. Then, there are volunteer cooks, drivers, and administrators who make sure that the entire operation runs seamlessly.

This is right in my alley regarding giving back to society. However, the first thing that came as an obstacle was my pompous ego- it is beneath my status as a professor at a major university and a prominent scientist to do this job. But, my late mother, from somewhere I know not, insisted –‘Khokon, no job is below your dignity when you are helping mankind.’

Thus, for the past two years or so, once a week I have been knocking on doors delivering meals to the elderly, enquiring about their general well-being, and whenever needed to report to the administrator. It is an entirely new experience for me, far away from my teacher/ scientist self.

Things became truly hard