‘The Famous Five’ from Chennai’s IT sector

On Fridays, when software professional P. Yesuraja is missing from his seat, earlier than his checkout time, his colleagues at Cognizant Technology Solutions in Sholinganallur know where he is headed. Yesuraja would be going grocery shopping to Parrys, something he does with great zeal, ticking off the laundry list of items.

It is responsible work, one geared to a special lunch scheduled the next day. Five colleagues from CTS - Shollinganallur and MEPZ campuses, all senior and mid-level professionals, have been leading an initiative to feed residents at old age homes and child care institutions a special meal prepared under their supervision ingredients carefully sourced from the market. The team call themselves “Outreach Ministry - Leadership & Operations Team” and comprises of Senthilnathan L., P.

Yesuraja, Sathish Raja, Santhosh and Sanjeev Nanda. There are many others who pitch in, including Senthil Selvaraj and Vasudevan, fundraising coordinators who are currently residing outside India. It all started in 2020, when COVID anxiety was high and many went without jobs.