What memory does kite-flying bring into your mind?
Makara Sankranti!
It is one Indian festival that brings a gush of memories to all of us. Exchanging gifts, sweets, clothes, etc. are a part of our childhood that hold a special place in our hearts even till date. Sankranti is celebrated on the same dateevery year, that is on 14th January. It is known as Pongal, Bihu, Lohri, Uttarayan, etc. in different states.
This festival marks the beginning of spring season and the Sun God is worshipped for moving from Tropic of Cancer to Tropic of Capricorn (Dakshinayan to Uttarayan). The sun enters the Capricorn zodiac sign.

Significance of Makara Sankranti according to Hindu Mythology
In the religious text of Mahabharata, Bhishma, the grandfather of the Pandavas and Kauravas, had received a boon of choosing the time of his death. Though he was badly wounded, he chose to wait for an auspicious date to leave his body. He left his body on the day of sun’s succession on Vaikuntha Ekadashi, as he lied on a bed of arrows for almost a month. It is believed that souls that depart during this auspicious period will reach heaven.

Makara Sankranti is the time when nights become shorter and days become longer. It is the festival of harvesting of rabi crops.

It is one festival that is celebrated differently in many states of India. Sankranti is an auspicious day for all Hindus; it is symbolic of celebrating the movement from darkness unto light which also means eliminating the bad in ourselves to pave way for the goodness in us. While some exchange sweets, pray for the wellness of each and every one, others feed the children, animals and others in need.

Bring out the best side of your goodness and spread cheer in the lives of people who need some sort of assistance. This harvest festival, include young children and underprivileged people in your act of goodness. Like how you celebrate this festive season with your loved ones, support these people in need to help them celebrate. This festival of harvest, bring them closer to food that helps them survive without having to compromise on education.

Celebrate Sankranti with Akshaya Patra
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO that primarily serves mid-day meals to school children studying in Government and Government-aided schools of India. Running the world’s largest NGO-run midday meal programme, the Foundations aims to feed 5 million children every day. Moving towards the same, more kitchens are being set up with support of the Government of India, individual donors, corporate partners and volunteers. As of today, there are centralised and decentralised kitchens in 6 locations that serves hygienic food to children from low-income sections.

In times of calamities, the kitchens of Akshaya Patra that serve mid-day meals to children, concentrate on serving food to people in distress.

As you begin this festive season by fling kits, burning old stuff, letting go off small tiffs, etc. let us also give a thought to feed the children in need. Help them harvest the goodness that brought life into their dreams. Donate online towards feeding them with Akshaya Patra to support their food and education. You can make memories in the life of children who look forward to celebrating this Makara Sankranti in a better manner.

As children, we all dream of studying in top universities and working towards our goals of becoming well-known personalities in different fields. However, as we grow up, we realise that studying in top schools and colleges is expensive. Our parents arrange for the fees to ensure that we get the right education to support our dreams.

But have you thought about what would happen if your parents can’t arrange your school fees?

Many people want their children to achieve their dreams but cannot support them due to financial difficulties. People from the below poverty line, marginalized communities and low-income sections can hardly make their ends meet; getting an education for their child is out of the question. To help such families, the Government of India took upon addressing two major issues – education and hunger. The Supreme Court of India mandated the midday meal programme (called madhyaan bhojan yojana in Hindi) for primary and upper primary children. This scheme was designed to better the nutritional status of school-going children. Which meant that mid-day meals would act as an incentive to help children get educated.

As per the midday meal programme, every child will receive free lunch every school day. The nutritional guidelines for different age groups were given by the Supreme Court, where every child will receive a minimum of 300 calories and 8-12 grams of protein on each day of school for a minimum of 200 days.

To implement this programme on a large scale, many NGOs in India joined hands with the Central and State Governments. Some NGOs cater to primary students while others feed upper primary students and the rest serve high school students.

Service of Akshaya Patra – an NGO in India
The Akshaya Patra Foundation worked in tandem with the Government of India to implement the midday meal programme on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model. With firm support from the Government of India, the State Governments and associated organisations, this NGO in India began feeding school meals to 1,500 children in five schools of Bengaluru. Today, it has the distinction of being the world’s largest NGO run school lunch programme, serving freshly cooked nutritious mid-day meals to over 1.8 million children in 19,039 schools of 13 states & 1 union territory.

Out of these 1.8 million beneficiaries is one young boy from Odisha, named Sachin.

He is one beneficiary who has benefitted from Akshaya Patra’s wholesome meals. He was a frail-looking boy and underweight. He would always stay aloof in school while his friends and classmates enjoyed playing outdoor games like kabaddi, kho-kho, running race, etc. He did not have the energy to play; would huff and puff even after playing for five minutes and would have to rest to catch his breath.

Teachers remember the first week of his school when he would never concentrate in class, never participate in classroom activities and would often complain of unbearable stomach cramps which would eventually lead to being sent back home. After knowing about his daily activities, it was understood that he was malnourished and would come to school every day without eating anything.

Teachers spent more time with him, they took interest in what he eats and how much. After constant efforts from everyone in school, he is a healthy child today. He is an active participant in class and fares well in his academics too.
Care and concern of teachers, Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meals and online donations from generous donors who ensured that he gets nutritious meals for one year every day, has made him what he is today. He is very optimistic about following his dreams of becoming a pilot.

Support for people who want to bring a change in the lives of children has kept Akshaya Patra going for 21 years now. As the NGO restarts implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme, many more children like Sachin look for a hope source, to achieve their dreams; dreams of studying in top universities and making a name for themselves. Let’s continue making a difference to dreams of a better life.