It takes A. Pakkyanathan a good 40 minutes to drive from his home in Strathfield to the Hindu temple in Helensburgh, but he makes the trek before dawn most weekends. "Pakki", as he is known, has been volunteering at the Sri Venkateswara temple for more than 15 years, preparing delicious food that is available to everyone.
Pakki smiles widely when asked about volunteering.
“It is a service to people without expecting any return," he says.
"You feel happy that you have helped somebody. It could be here at the temple or anywhere outside. I’m prepared to help anyone who needs it. You feel happy once you finish.”
Pakki arrives at 5.30am, often coming on Friday as well as Saturday and Sunday.
“First thing in the morning I help the chef. I do some mixing of the rice and arrange the condiments.”
“We have three counters. To man the counters, as well as getting the food ready, we need about six people," says Pakki.
Working alongside Pakki is Sri Naidu from Holsworthy, who helps out every second week.
Masala dosa is the most popular dish at the canteen, where an online ordering system streamlines the workflow.
“People love it, especially our locals here in Helensburgh. They come and pick up masala dosas.”
A dosa is a type of crispy pancake. Sri happily describes the ingredients. “The batter is ground urad dal [lentils] and rice. They soak the urad dal and rice for eight hours, so it gets fermented. Then you put it in the pan. Masala is what you stuff it with. It is a potato curry. Along with this we supply sambar and chutney.”
Masala dosa is also Sri’s own favourite dish, closely followed by lassi and masala chai. Lassi is a drink made of mango and yogurt, with a bit of cardamom and sugar.
“Sweet in taste but it is very healthy and tasty.“
Sri has a similar view on volunteering to Pakki.
“As a community service it is an important role to fulfil. This place needs volunteers. It's not just work, it’s an enjoyment as well, meeting new people, talking to them.”
The Sri Venkateswara temple has received approval to build an educational/cultural building, and in the coming months work will also start on a new modern canteen.
“I encourage everyone to come, especially our Aussie girls and boys, they should come and have a taste here,” says Sri.
Pakki shares the sentiment: “Anyone can come. Lots of local people come and have a meal. It is not necessary that people go to the temple.”
Visit www.svtsydney.org