Akshaya Tritiya is a festival of joy and prosperity. Also called ‘Akha Teej’, it is celebrated on the third lunar day of the Vaishakha month (April – May) and this year it will be celebrated on the 14th of May. This day is considered to be highly auspicious and sacred. There is no necessity to look for an auspicious time if one wants to perform a special event like a Pooja, wedding, housewarming, etc. as the whole day is auspicious.

A few beliefs about Akshaya Tritiya
• It is an annual springtime festival of Hindus and Jains alike
• The sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Lord Parashurama was born on this day
• This day marks the birth of Goddess Annapoorna

It is a belief that a new venture begun on this day brings prosperity. Whether you start a new business, a new practice or a new activity, it is believed to bear fruitful results. There is a frenzy in people to buy gold during this season, with the belief that they will get unending prosperity. In this crisis hour, when jewellery stores and other shops are closed, many of us don’t know what to do. We fail to realise that we can still get unending prosperity by following our age-old tradition of performing an act of charity. Doing charity, in India is considered to be the highest form of service, out of which Annadaan is considered to be Mahadaan. You can visit organisations or NGOs that help the people in need or make online donations, it is still believed as a service.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one such NGO you can choose to donate to in this crisis hour. With its COVID-19 relief Service, it provides freshly-cooked meals, grocery kits to marginalised communities and happiness kits to children studying in Government and Government-aided schools. Since the first wave of the pandemic, the organisation has continuously worked to feed the needy people by supporting the Government of India. So far, over 12-crore meals have been served, cumulatively.

Inherit good deeds on Akshaya Tritiya by making Anna Daan with Akshaya Patra by supporting the distribution of meals during the tough times of the pandemic. Support the needy people hailing from challenging socio-economic backgrounds. Help them survive this pandemic with your donation and gain their blessings for feeding them healthy meals in return.

Donate online to feed the marginalised sections of the society this Akshaya Tritiya and get a year full of prosperity.

Holi is a festival for all – children, adults, rich, not-so-rich and all. It is a day to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, the day we celebrate the eternal love of Radha and Krishna. It is celebrated to welcome spring and marks the beginning of spring harvest. The celebrations begin the previous night with a ritual called Holika Dahan where one prays to destroy the evil in them. The next morning is celebrated as Holi where people smear each other with colours.

However, it is not all joy and colours for all people. People and children coming from challenging socio-economic backgrounds see their lives to be filled only with black and white. We can potentially add colours into their lives on this Holi 2021.

How can you brighten up their lives?
As the famous saying goes, ‘A little bit of kindness goes a long way.’
Shower your kindness on people this Holi, celebrate it by providing support. The best way to bring change in their lives is by donating to non-profit organisations that take care of their necessities and requirements. This Holi, join The Akshaya Patra Foundation to make a positive impact on the lives of people.

Celebrate this Holi by feeding children
Celebrate the goodness that resides in you by providing mid-day meals to children with Akshaya Patra. With your contribution of ₹1100, one child from a Government and Government-aided school will receive nutritious meals every single day of that academic year. The meals provided by this NGO takes care of the nutritional levels of school children coming from challenging backgrounds. By cyclically providing locally palatable meals, the organisation ensures that children enjoy their meals and the wastage is reduced.

Here are a few stories of children who love Akshaya Patra’s food

13-year-old Shyaali dreams of becoming a dentist. She works very hard in class and has become sharper after consuming Akshaya Patra’s meals. She says that she skips breakfast so that she can savour the mid-day meals that day. She adds further saying, “If I eat breakfast and leave home, I feel I am not doing justice to the food provided.” She is grateful for the meals that are served in her school every single day.

Raju is a 14-year-old boy from Silvassa Municipal School. Akshaya Patra’s meals have inspired him to become a Chef. He loves the fact that one single dish has many recipes to it so that the children don’t get bored of eating the same food and ultimately waste it.

By contributing to Akshaya Patra and supporting the Mid-Day Meal Programme, you help in mitigating classroom hunger, improving focus and attention span of children, reducing school dropout rates and increasing school attendance rate.

To make an online donation to feed mid-day meal beneficiaries, click here.

Celebrate this Holi by feeding homeless mothers
The non-profit organisation is feeding women who have lost their husbands. With the #FeedTheHomelessMothers Programme, it feeds a thousand women every day.
A moderately active woman should consume 1,800-2,200 calories a day.
But women who are surviving without their husbands, do not intake so many calories. To support such women, hot and nutritious meals are provided to help them survive and ward off diseases. Each meal is priced at ₹11.15 and is fed to a thousand of them living at ashrams and other centres.

Celebrate this festival of Holi by smearing colours on your friends and family, but don’t forget to provide meals to these people during your celebrations. Feed nutritious meals with Akshaya Patra and change lives every day!