At Mithibai College fest, students thank Mumbai’s food delivery personnel

A student presents a gift to a food delivery person as part of the initiative; (right) A food delivery executive poses for a photo

It is the food delivery personnel because of whom we have the liberty of ordering our favourite food from the comfort of our homes, be it heavy rain or Mumbai's unpredictable traffic. They have been especially invaluable during the pandemic. But how many of us actually take time to thank those bringing the food to our doorsteps? Students at Mithibai College held a drive to sensitise fellow collegians about the hardships of delivery executives, through a drive held under their annual cultural festival, Kshitij.

A team of students captured a day in the life of delivery executives in a video to understand how they function, challenges they face and how customers treat them. "The idea of the video was to make everyone understand the hardships of those who deliver food to our doorsteps, under any condition. It is important for us to be more sensitive towards them. Instead, we see many behaving rudely with them," said Nischal Sharma from Team Kshitij, while elaborating on their social campaign titled - Khusiyo Ki Dastak. The video begins with an interview with a delivery executive on their everyday hassles and also has some dramatic representation of some instances based on their experiences.

Dr Krutika Desai, in-charge Principal of Mithibai College, said, "I support this initiative by Team Kshitij and appreciate the efforts that the team has taken to raise awareness on this topic. I would also like to specifically put it out into the world that even the smallest gestures of kindness and the most basic contribution makes a notable difference."

Kshitij has decided to take up different social causes this academic year to raise awareness among youngsters about several often-overlooked matters. The initiative, which began with the objective to inculcate empathy and consideration towards delivery personnel, also led to Team Kshitij gifting a few delivery persons with T-shirts and watches as a gesture of thanks.