18 years of committed effort and perseverance beautifully culminated into a historic milestone on 11 February 2019 as The Akshaya Patra Foundation served the 3 billionth meal since its inception in 2000. The commemoration of this remarkable feat was held in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh in the august presence of Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

The event was also graced by the Honourable Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Ram Naik; Honourable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath; Shri Shrikant Sharma, Minister of Power, Uttar Pradesh; Shri Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, Minister – Dairy Development, Religious Affairs, Culture, Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, Uttar Pradesh; Smt Anupma Jaiswal, Minister of State – Basic Education, Child Development and Nutrition, Revenue and Finance, Uttar Pradesh; Smt Hema Malini, MP – Mathura; Shri Karinda Singh, MLA – Govardhan, Shri Shyam Sunder Sharma, MLA – Mant; Shri Pooran Prakash, MLA – Baldev, and Shri Mukesh Arya Bandhu, Mayor – Mathura Vrindavan Nagar Nigam. Shri Madhu Pandit Dasa – Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation; Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa – Vice-Chairman, Shri Mohandas Pai – Independent Trustee, other trustees and officials of Akshaya Patra were present at the occasion. The event was also attended by prominent personalities from the corporate sector and other esteemed organisations who have been supporters and well-wishers of the Foundation including parents of beneficiaries and teachers of beneficiary schools.

Shri Narendra Modi unveiled the ceremonial plague to mark the serving of the 3 billionth meal. Addressing the gathering and appreciating Akshaya Patra’s work, Shri Modi said, “Donation given as a sense of responsibility without the thought of doing a favour, at the right place, at the right time and to deserving people is called ‘satttvik daan’. By providing nutritious meals to children of the nation for the last 18 years, Akshaya Patra is doing this ‘sattvic daan’. For this, I extend my best wishes to all of you associated with the Foundation. Your work is extraordinary, your service is extraordinary; it is an example of incredible dedication. Everyone involved with Akshaya Patra, right from the cooks to the ones who deliver and serve food to the children are helping the nation.” He further said, “Good nutrition and healthy childhood is the foundation of New India. By providing food regularly to children, dedicated workers like you are creating a strong foundation for the country. I congratulate your endeavour and effort; this effort is the best example of the ‘I to We’ journey; this is an example of self to selflessness.”

He later tweeted:

Shri Modi had earlier mentioned about Akshaya Patra on 24 October 2018, during the launch of ‘Self4Society’ App in New Delhi. He said, “Akshaya Patra is a social start-up, which has turned into a movement that provides food to school children”.

Watch the commemoration event of the 3 billionth meal.

Akshaya Patra’s journey

Akshaya Patra began its journey in the year 2000 by feeding just 1,500 children in five Government schools in Bengaluru. Today, it provides daily school meals to more than 1.76 million children across 12 states of India. The Foundation expresses its wholehearted gratitude to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, State Governments, donors, and supporters for their steadfast support during these 18 years. It is this support that helped Akshaya Patra to serve 3 billion meals. Below is the snapshot of Akshaya Patra’s milestones:

Join Akshaya Patra’s journey

Akshaya Patra invites each and every one to join the ‘feed the children’ movement. These children are the future flagbearers of the nation. Let’s together take India from a ‘developing nation’ to a ‘developed nation’. Be a part of this transformation and your contribution will create a healthy, educated, and prosperous ‘New India’.

It is no doubt that the magic of photographs is timeless! And to explore the world of photography with children as the focus, The Akshaya Patra Foundation had initiated the ‘Click a Smile’, an annual online photography competition in 2013. With the objective to spread smiles and hopes, Akshaya Patra has pinned one main criterion for this competition i.e. only happy pictures of a child or children will be accepted and exhibited in the contest. These photographs can be from anywhere in the world and in any setting – home, school, playground, or the neighbourhood.

The ‘Click a Smile’ photo contest is open for all regardless of age and nationality, and also encourages amateurs and professional photographers to participate in it. Since the beginning this contest has received an overwhelming response from across the world with more than 1,500 entries from across 70 countries, each year. Below are some of the criteria for Click a Smile – 2018:

• The photography contest is open from 20 November 2018 to 30 December 2018. All entries must be submitted within this time period;
• Each participant is allowed to submit a maximum of three photographs;
• Only digital (JPEG format) photographs within the resolution range of 800 pixels to 4MB will qualify for the contest;
• There is no registration fee for participating in the contest;
• The shortlisted entries will be judged by a panel of professionals from the photography industry; and
• The winners of the photo contest will receive trophies, certificates, and gift vouchers.

Not just prizes, all the winning entries will be published in Akshaya Patra’s official page for the ‘Click a Smile’ contest!

Well, it’s time to capture the joy of children and spread smiles all around you. It is time to capture that one moment which can brighten up your day even after many years from now. It is time to re-experience innocence, to jump on a puddle of water and to remember the good old friends. It is time to relive your childhood. And, as they say, ‘more the merrier’, so as you participate, invite your friends to join in too.

To register and know more about this photography contest, click here.

For detailed terms and conditions, please click here.