My Yatra Diary...

My Yatra Diary...

Gift an Akshaya Patra - Food for life

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 08:05 AM PST

In the Mahabharata, Yudhistira Maharaja had once inquired, "What gift will reward in this world and in the next?"
Bhisma Pitamaha answered, "There has never been, nor will there ever be, any gift equal to the gift of food…"

Remember that loud gong of bell when we all would eagerly reach out our hands for that tiffin box. Recess was something that we all looked forward to. After all, who can imagine school without a lunch break and who can learn on an empty stomach anyways!

But do you know that millions of poverty stuck children are actually living that reality each day. No food forces these hungry souls to quit schools for odd jobs so that they can fill their little bellies. This is a very sad scenario indeed but it's true…

To tackle this intertwined problem of hunger, malnutrition and illiteracy, ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) set up Akshaya Patra, a non profit charity for children, in 2001 which has since been working with a single aim that No child in India should miss out on education because they are too hungry to attend.


True to its name, an inexhaustible bowl of food, Akshaya Patra serves unlimited hot and fresh mid day meals to millions of under-privileged school children each and every day so that they can continue their education thereby helping India achieve its goals of eradication of hunger and encouragement of primary education.

You may be wondering what's all this and why am I telling you all this? Well, Indiblogger, an Indian blogging community, in association with Akshaya Patra has started this campaign, "Blog and feed 50 children!" to champion the cause. I, being a member of ISKCON myself and knowing that they can be trusted that your money will be used for the right purposes, decided to join in as well.


We all blog for joy, isn't it? And what can be a greater joy than the joy of giving? With Christmas just round the corner, it's the perfect time to bring a little magic into the lives of those around us. So here's your chance to gift hope, strength and joy to children… write a blog post or make a donation online… let's join hands to raise awareness… let's endeavor to be a Santa for somebody this year… Let's gift an Akshaya Patra…

For more details, visit their website http://www.akshayapatra.org/ or email them at infodesk@akshayapatra.org