Philanthropist’s family donates country’s biggest cooking pot to Bidyanondo

Twenty years ago, a man in Dhaka's Mohammadpur made a pot, reportedly to be the country's largest one, to feed poor people once a year. This has been his family tradition since then.

The 12x6 feet vessel is estimated to be able to manage cooking for around 10,000 people if each platter contains 300 grams of food.

After his death from Covid-19 infection in 2020, the family members decided to donate the giant pot to someone who can carry on with the charity work of its original purpose which is feeding the people in need.

They chose Bidyanondo Foundation, a social welfare organisation famous for helping the poor. The foundation formally received the pot on 11 November from the philanthropist's family, who preferred to remain anonymous.

"Bidyanondo Foundation has been greatly inspired by the philosophy of the late philanthropist and wishes to continue his legacy of feeding," Bidyanondo Foundation Head of Communication Salman Khan Yeasin told The Business Standard on Saturday.

Earlier, Bidyanondo, being a non-profit organisation that has been helping the poor community of Bangladesh since 2013, had custom-built two huge woks (deep round-bottomed cooking pots) for its Dhaka and Keraniganj kitchen. They can each cook for around 3,500 people.

"We have decided to install the pot in our Kurigram kitchen as the district and its adjacent areas are prone to annual flooding and also because we process our biggest Eid-ul-Adha based donations from that kitchen," Bidyanondo spokesperson said adding that the huge vessel will be put to use in occasions when a meal in bigger quantity is needed to be prepared. 

Soon after the installation is over, Bidyanondo's Kurigram kitchen will start using the pot, hopefully within a week, he added.