My connect with Akshaya Patra

As a student, I can completely empathise with the little children who suffer from classroom hunger. Even after being from a privileged background, I have felt the hunger pangs many a times in classroom, mostly because either I would have skipped breakfast or lunch. But, what about those little children who suffer from classroom hunger not by choice, but due to circumstance? I have experienced and believe that when a child is deprived of food, when the child constantly feels the hunger pangs, he can neither concentrate in classroom activities nor give his best.

And, this is where I found my connect with The Akshaya Patra Foundation. My thought is in much alignment with the vision statement of the Foundation, “No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger”. This noble thought by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada instantly provoked me to choose Akshaya Patra as the organisation for my internship.

My time in Akshaya Patra

I was interning with the Corporate Partnership Department and my mentor was Mr Balakumar Rajaram. He constantly guided me and supported me in all aspects throughout the internship period. A typical day at Akshaya Patra always began with a cup of tea or coffee. This was followed by reviewing the progress made on an on-going project, and discussions on what new projects or ideas can we work on.

I will forever cherish my days at Akshaya Patra, especially the people and the sumptuous lunch I used to relish every day. Every member at Akshaya Patra were so welcoming that I never felt like an intern. And, I really don’t think I have ever had such a variety of nutritious meals anywhere else till date.

Most memorable moment

If I were to pick one memorable moment in Akshaya Patra, it would be my visit to the H.K. Hill kitchen. It was my first field visit as an intern in the organisation and I was much delighted to see the cleanliness, the machines, the standard and strict process maintained during cooking, and the quality of the meals. My sincere gratitude to Mr Balakumar for including this visit in my internship and for sparing his precious time to accompany me.

Akshaya Patra – A Great Place to Work

Akshaya Patra is one of the most reliable NGOs in India. The Foundation is constantly working towards eradicating classroom hunger, and this is in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations: Zero Hunger and Quality Education. I feel this is a reason enough to recognise this organisation as a “Great Place to Work”.