SBI Foundation donates towards hot insulated vessels

On March 27, 2017, Akshaya Patra received a cheque of Rs 88 lakhs from CSR wing of State Bank of India (SBI) which will be invested towards 1,250 hot insulated vessels. The vessels, customised to maintain food temperature for several hours, will be distributed in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Nathdwara kitchens.

The event was held at ISKCON, Bengaluru in the presence of Mr R Narottham Reddy, President and Chief Operating Officer, SBI Foundation. During the event, he stressed on the need to eliminate malnutrition in the country. “We are proud to be partnering with Akshaya Patra which is working towards eradicating malnutrition in India, and happy that these Hot Insulated Vessels will be instrumental in delivering hot and nutritious meal to the children. We look forward to a long term association with the Foundation,” he said.

Acharya Ratna Dasa, Chief Project Manager, Akshaya Patra said “We are overwhelmed by the support from SBI Foundation. We take pride in being the first NGO to receive aid by SBI Foundation and we profusely thank them for associating with us.”

The Inspiring Story of Akshaya Patra

Who knows our story better than you – the one reading this on Akshaya Patra’s website? Your tremendous support to our cause of ‘Unlimited Food for Education’ has taken us from one kitchen serving 1,500 school children back in the year 2000 to 27 kitchens in 11 states that feed over 1.6 million school children every day.

We are excited to share that you can now read more about us through a book written by none other than Rashmi Bansal. Rashmi is an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus who is known for her book ‘Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish’. Her new release – ‘God’s Own Kitchen: The Inspiring Story of Akshaya Patra – A Social Enterprise Run by Monks and CEOs’ showcases the unconventional path taken by our founders.

This is the exciting story of spiritualists and capitalists coming together to launch a unique start-up. And taking it to scale. A ‘Made in India’ success story using the head, the heart and a whole lot of soul.

Excerpts of comments left by readers on Amazon:

“This is one of the classics that I have ever read in my life. The journey of a mega project beginning from scratch is vividly described. The author is extremely talented in bringing out the scenes of the play right in front of the readers, as if it was a live show. Hard work and dedication of Team Akshaya Patra under the able guidance of Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa and Sri Chanchalapathi Dasa is an encouragement for all of us.”

“Inspiring story of Akshaya Patra written in great detail, the book is moving and inspiring, fills the heart with hope, brings out the goodness in us. Must Read…”

You can get it for your Kindle or buy a paperback from here

Sanjana, a daughter and a school topper

It’s just another day for her; she reaches school around 9 am, completes any pending homework, attends the morning assembly and gets on with Std VIII classes for the rest of her day.

Sanjana Borashetti, with two neatly tied plaits, is a school topper and is the go-to person for her classmates. In love with literature, especially poems, Sanjana has her own collection of poems written in Kannada in a class workbook. After school, she heads home which shelters seven people under the same roof; a home that has grown accustomed to living without electricity.

On living without electricity

Until four years ago, everything was normal in this household. However, it took a different direction when her father could not repay a few loans and owing to mounting bills, the house lost its power supply. Four years on, the house continues to live without the basic need.

Sanjana’s father is a milkman and mother works as a domestic help. While her parents get busy in the morning, she starts her day with a prayer. At times, she helps mother fetch water from a nearby well (the family needs at least 10 to 15 pots of water every day), cleans the house, and helps her brother with his homework.

In school, she supervises many activities such as assembly, attendance and news (relevant current affairs are announced every day). Being the class monitor for a total of 36 students, she shares a good rapport with her classmates and ensures everyone is aware of upcoming activities in school.

Sanjana and her classmates play with a skipping rope

If not electricity, there is a lot of hope for the family. In order to study and complete her homework, Sanjana uses a torch. “There are two torches at home. I use one while studying,” she says. Although they do not have access to electricity, the young girl excels in studies.

I want to put an end to bribes

To live without a few basic necessities can be a challenge. But a few get on without perceiving it as a hindrance. For Sanjana, television is a forgotten tool and lack of electricity is no reason to complain. With all the support that she gets from her teachers, she has been performing well in her academics and is also sure of her interests. “When I grow up, I want to become a DC,” she says. District Collector (DC) is one of the most competitive jobs in India and Sanjana wants to take up this role to put an end to bribes.

Her school is her support system

Government Higher Primary School, located in Bairidevara Koppa, Hubballi, is well maintained, clean, and the students are enthusiastic. A section of this school was built under the ‘Freedom through Education’ project led by Round Table India.

For Sanjana, being in school amongst her classmates means everything. Be it studying or spending free time, she prefers school environment. During her lunch provided by Akshaya Patra, she gets to eat freshly cooked food; Rice and Sambar, and Pulao are her favourites. Back at home, food is prepared on an earthen stove using firewood.

When there’s time, Sanjana writes poems (she learnt poetry in a summer camp a year ago), collects favourite quotes from books and also collects information that would improve her knowledge. Books are her best company and she is grateful for the education she is currently receiving.

13-year-old Sanjana is one among the many students in India looking forward to fulfilling her dreams and The Akshaya Patra Foundation wishes her the best.

Akshaya Patra: Stepping Closer Towards Our Mission.

The anticipation one feels prior to the arrival of a delicious meal, is unmatched. The joy that follows the sight of a steaming hot meal is even more intense! Isn’t it wonderful that over 1.6 million school children in India get to experience this very joy every day in the form of a nutritious school lunch from Akshaya Patra? As we scale up our efforts to expand across the country, the number of beneficiaries we feed every day is about to rise dramatically too! Thanks to the groundwork laid in 2016, the year 2017 will see us taking a significant leap towards our mission of feeding 5 million children by 2020.

In 2016, we opened our innings in Maharashtra with our first kitchen in the state, in Nagpur.  We also added two more locations to our presence in Andhra Pradesh – Kakinada and Mangalagiri. Towards the end of the year, in December, we laid the Foundation for our first high-tech mega kitchen at Khandi in Telangana. The construction cost of the kitchen will be covered by the Infosys Foundation, which has donated Rs 18.03 crore towards it. This kitchen will feed over 1,00,000 children in the region from the next academic year.

We also initiated the process of setting up 11 new kitchens in Uttar Pradesh in the last month of 2016. The groundbreaking ceremony for the same was performed by Honourable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Shri Akhilesh Yadav, on December 26, 2016 at Lok Bhavan, New Secretariat, Lucknow. Children in the districts of Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Agra, Allahabad, Kanpur, Etawah, Kannauj, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Rampur and Ballia will benefit from our Mid-Day Meal Programme after the establishment of these kitchens. It will expand our reach to 13 lakh beneficiary children in UP from the current 2,11,680.

We are striving hard to expand our reach across the country, where 179.6 million people live below poverty line. We urgently need your support to ensure that children do not suffer dire consequences due to hunger and lack of education. Walk with us on the road to eliminating classroom hunger now. Join the cause by lending your support!

Nagamma dreams of becoming a social worker.

Working for a social cause, acknowledging issues in society that need urgent attention and can be resolved are the noblest of all vocations. Here is an Akshaya Patra beneficiary who anticipates becoming a social worker from the profound suffering, deep woes and agonies she has endured in life.

We noticed the empathy in her eyes when she said with extreme determination that she wanted to become a social worker, giving herself for the welfare of children who cannot study because of hunger. Hesitantly, she told that she is not certain whether she can follow through with her goal, as she does not know whether she will be able to continue her education when she completes 14. We met Nagamma at the schoolyards of Government Higher Primary School, Tarabanahalli. She is a 12- year-old studying in Std V. She hails from an underprivileged economical background. She lives with her parents and two siblings. Her father Mahesha and mother Ratnamma work as labourers at a construction site for a meagre income.

Nagamma’s family is one among the 179.6 million people in India who are living below poverty line. They do not have a land of their own and stay in a mud house on government land. The house is thatched and has a tin sheet as door. We were humbled by seeing the deplorable condition of the house. The inside of the house was abysmal. The house had bare minimum utensils, and clothes strewn on a hanging rope. We could imagine the plight during rainy season; they told us that the water enters the house, and leaking roof adds to their woes.

The responsible sister

Nagamma has two siblings, a sister, Savithri and a brother, Chandrashekar; who studies in standard V and II respectively, in the same school (Government Higher Primary School, Tarabanahalli). Though Savithri is younger than Nagamma, she also studies in Std V with Nagamma. Nagamma had to discontinue schooling to take care of her little brother and had missed a year of school. The three children are beneficiaries of Akshaya Patra.

Nagamma told us that it was she who had helped raise her 7-year-old brother from a very young age as both her parents work hard for making ends meet. Bringing up three children is a herculean task for them. She said, “I used to bring my younger brother to class, as there was no one to take care of him at home. At first, my teachers disallowed it but later on when I could not attend classes, my teachers gave permission to bring him to class.” She added, “I am more than a mother to my little brother.”

‘Reading is a hobby, but has no time’

When we asked her, what her favourite hobby is, she told us, ‘reading’ but, she added that she does not get time for reading at home. She has to do innumerable household chores like taking care of her siblings, bringing water from the tap, washing clothes and utensils, preparing dinner among other things. Such a heavy responsibility on such small shoulders was a humbling experience for us.

An intelligent student

Her teachers are fond of her as she is very intelligent and hardworking. As soon as she reaches home, she does her homework and prepares the dinner before her parents come home from work. Though she likes studying all subjects her favourite subject is Maths since she likes to solve problems. She said, “When I am able to solve the problems correctly, I feel happy.” Her favourite teacher is Latha Miss, Nagamma says that she teaches very well and is ready to explain the mathematical sums a number of times, if required, without losing patience. Nagamma likes to play different games like Kho-kho, throw ball and the like. She has participated in running race competition held at Cluster Level. She wishes that the school has a bigger playground so that she can practice more.

Give To Receive: Feed Children And Avail 100% Tax Exemption!

“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread,” said the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi.

Classroom hunger affects the health and future prospects of school-going children. This is an issue that needs all our collective efforts to be effectively tackled and eliminated. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to feed a hungry child and receive mental and material benefits from the act? We bet it would! Donating to Akshaya Patra not only nourishes the children of the country, it also brings you a sense of great happiness at having done a noble deed and avails you 100% tax exemption!

How can you avail this tax exemption? As an NGO, Akshaya Patra is registered under section 35AC of the Income Tax Act 1961. Hence, every donation above Rs 500 made to the Foundation is eligible for a 100% tax exemption under Section 80GGA. So, if you make a donation of a minimum of Rs 500, you can avail this benefit. The receipts acknowledging the donation will be sent to you within 10 days of making the donation – the tax certificate is generated within six days and reaches you within 10 days. The good Samaritans outside of India, who wish to donate to the Foundation need not worry either. Non-resident Indians (NRIs), holding an Indian passport too are eligible for 100% tax exemptions under the aforementioned sections of the Income Tax Act.

Isn’t it wonderful, this opportunity to bring about a positive impact on the lives of India’s children and feed their dreams? The benefits are reaped not only by the children of this country but by you as well. So, go ahead and contribute to the cause of ‘Unlimited Food for Education’ here!

You can read in greater detail about free donations here.

Manning the Dream towards Riddhi.

Wanting to break out of earthly confines and fly high is a dream that is common to much of the human race. However, only a few get to experience the same and soar the skies. Riddhi Barot, an Akshaya Patra beneficiary from Veer Narmad Primary School in Saradnagar Tarsali, Vadodara, studying in Std VII, is one such student. She wants to become a pilot and ride the wind like a bird. There is another potent motivation for this young lady’s dream – making her parents proud. “I want to do it for my parents,” she says.

The daughter of a father who works in an electric shop and a mother who is a homemaker, Riddhi also has two siblings –sister Siddhi (in Std V) and brother Jai (in Std II), studying in the same school. The noted Gujarati writer, freedom fighter and social reformer, Jhaverchand Meghani, is a big inspiration in Riddhi’s life. Her parents and teachers provide her with great motivation and the latter heap praises on the young girl for her neat handwriting!

Academics and sports are Riddhi’s avid interests and she counts Science and English as her favourite subjects. She is also an enthusiastic shuttler and loves to play badminton, besides being active in Scouts and Guides. She is a competitive girl, participating in various contests and looks forward to the drawing competition in particular.

About Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meals served in her school, Riddhi says, “The madhyan bhojan (mid-day meal) is highly nutritious and if this food is not provided at school, we’ll fall ill and lose out on studying and playing.” Her favourite dish is Chana Dal and Bhath, while her siblings, Siddhi and Jai like Dal Dhokli the most.

We wish Riddhi the very best for her future.

Akshaya Patra’s Savory Mid-Day Meal Relished by Bengaluru Mayor.

It’s heartbreaking to see India as one of the major contributors to the World Hunger index. Daily, more than 3,000 children in India die due to malnutrition and starvation. An unhealthy body does not sustain a healthy mind. To fight this evil, we, at Akshaya Patra Foundation, has been helping poor children in government schools enjoy a nutritious and flavorsome food with their mid-day meal scheme.  The quality of food we offer is constantly monitored by a staff of trained cooks. We go the extra length to ensure the results by holding ‘taste-drives’ for Bengaluru residents.

On December 14, Akshaya Patra held the ‘Taste of Joy’ event, which the mayor of Bengaluru, G Padmavathi graciously inaugurated. The food was then served to the public, who enjoyed it a lot. The objective of this drive was to introduce the high standards of Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal to the people of Bengaluru. A lot of attention was received when everyone shared this event on the social media with hashtags #menuofhope, #tasteofjoy and #zerohunger.

Shridham Krishna Dasa, the chief project manager, explained how the children and their parents have loved Akshay Patra’s cooking and the way they organize the daily routine. Now, they are taking it to the general public and the mayor to show their efforts in making Bengaluru a hunger-free zone.

In a world where the ‘luxury’ of food can’t be enjoyed by everyone, Akshaya Patra has made a significant contribution. It started in the year 2000, when Akshaya Patra used to nourish 1,500 children with their finely prepared food. Right now, that number is around 1.6 million. Other than the mid-day meal, their initiatives also include feeding infants and their mothers at Anganwadis, feeding runaway children, disaster relief, and more. Their noble and generous programme are making waves among Bengaluru’s philanthropists.

 

 

Invoke the Spirit of Christmas by Hosting a Meal for a Child.

The three wise men gifted Lord Jesus Christ with gold, myrrh, and frankincense. It was an act of generosity and faith that lived throughout the ages to exist as the spirit of Christmas. The joy of gifting cannot be fathomed with words. It’s the first-hand experience that will bring you pure bliss. To bring you that delight, Akshaya Patra is celebrating the Season of Giving.

Akshaya Patra is conducting this event to bring innumerable smiles on the faces of young poor children. The aim of this gathering is to raise war against hunger. It will be held from December 21 to December 23 at DLF Cyberhub, Gurgaon. You can support the needy children with donations at this event. To celebrate the joy of giving, we have placed a huge Santa Claus doll at the DLF CyberHub. In collaboration with 92.7 Big FM, there will be fun activities that’ll rally the Christmas spirit in every heart. You’ll be provided with different toy balls to feed the Santa doll, based on how much you donate. An advance donation can be made here.

India is a land full of wonders and colors. Our daily routine keeps us too busy to care for the deprived children. Akshaya Patra aims to bring down the gap with this initiative. We feed over 1.6 million children across 11 states with our mid-day meal programme. With your assistance, these numbers can increase copiously. Apart from the mid-day meal plans, we help in disaster reliefs. Anganwadi meals sponsored by our NGO ensure infants and new mothers are nourished properly in places that lack facilities. To help unprivileged children, we facilitate educational drives, after-class tuitions, scholarships and life-skill classes. A healthy body is important, so we also conduct health camps. Our work is motivated by the beaming faces of thousands of children we see every day.

Akshaya Patra Foundation Ties Up With FreeCharge To Enable Digital Donations.

The serene beauty of the winter season induces the zeal for sharing the joy and spread some smiles. However, during these cold weather months, life becomes even harder for the under-privileged people. Demonetization has drastically impacted the count of contributions received by the NGOs from keen donors.

In this scenario, Akshaya Patra Foundation (APF) has teamed up FreeCharge, India’s leading digital payments platform to enable digital donations through an app. FreeCharge has recently launched a feature, which has a “Donate” button on its app, through which FreeCharge users can make direct donations to Akshaya Patra Foundation and other prominent NGOs in the country.

Sundeep Talwar, Chief Marketing Officer – Akshaya Patra Foundation said, “Akshaya Patra is committed to remove classroom hunger and encourage the deserving children to pursue their education without hurdles.”

Talwar further added, “This new feature on the FreeCharge App is a great way for APF to connect with kind-hearted people who value the nation’s future and are willing to support the next generation. We are positive about garnering more support through this new platform and by leveraging technology we can broaden our impact.”

This donate feature will help the users to complete donations within 10-seconds in a hassle-free and secure manner. Donors will also be given tax certificates from the NGOs with reference to their donations.

Using digital wallets for charity is indeed a great idea that will help users do their bit for causes they care for, in a smooth manner.