Axalta Coating Systems has partnered with Akshaya Patra to sponsor the mid-day meals for students of the community near their Savli manufacturing plant in Gujarat. These meals will be catered from the Foundation’s kitchen in Vadodara. The company which focuses exclusively on coatings is a global leader in providing innovative, beautiful and sustainable solutions to their customers.

Speaking on this campaign Vinay Rajadhyaksha, Managing Director of Axalta’s operations in India, said, “Community development and associating ourselves with social causes which ensure sustainable development are part of Axalta’s values as a company. We are proud that we can contribute to society, and especially to the communities where we operate, by associating ourselves with an NGO that supports children and provides some of the resources they need for their education and, in turn, for them to contribute to the nation as they grow into adults. Reaching out to children in Gujarat with nutritious meals through Akshaya Patra helps us give back to the society in the best possible manner.”

This joint initiative between Akshaya Patra and Axalta is one of great merit, and will have a positive impact on the growth and development of this community where they both function.

Expressing the Foundation’s happiness over this partnership Jaganmohan Krishna Dasa, President of Akshaya Patra Gujarat said, “We at Akshaya Patra want to transform lives of millions of children across India. With our vision that no child shall be deprived of education because of hunger, we are moving towards our ambitious goal of reaching five million children by 2020. I thank Axalta Coating Systems for lending its hand in this journey. Its partnership further strengthens our determination to serve children better.”

Recently volunteers from business schools visited Akshaya Patra to train some of our staff in using Microsoft Excel. The employees who opted for the training programme were from different age groups, and departments in the kitchen operations. Bikash Tripathy, a student of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Bangalore, was the instructor at our Vasanthapura kitchen. He was amazed by the zeal and enthusiasm shown by the employees at Akshaya Patra.

“I never expected them to show that amount of dedication towards something which they were asked to participate in voluntarily,” he said. As an example he mentioned Siddesh, age 21 and Mahadeva, age 35, who excelled at the training. Siddesh and Mahadeva have completed their PUC and do data entry jobs at Akshaya Patra.

“What made the initiative so enjoyable to me was the approachability of the employees. They did not consider me an instructor, but accepted me as a friend. I believe their spirit is what makes Akshaya Patra an organisation that students of my institute will choose to volunteer at year after year,” Bikash added.

– By Nitish Sahay

(Intern from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies)