His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, envisioned that no one within a 10-mile radius of a Krishna temple should go hungry. In pursuance of his great desire, the devotees of ISKCON Bangalore, led by Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa and Sri Chanchalapathi Dasa, initiated the Akshaya Patra programme over two decades ago, with the objective that no child should be deprived of education due to hunger. This programme started with feeding 1500 children in 5 schools in the year 2000 from its first kitchen situated on the Hare Krishna Hill campus of ISKCON Bangalore. The Foundation has grown from humble beginnings to become the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) school lunch programme.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation recently commemorated its achievement of serving 4 billion meals at the United Nations Trusteeship Council. The event was hosted by Ms.Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations. Eminent personalities like Sri Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Laureate and child rights advocate, Sri Narayan Murthy, Chairman Emeritus of Infosys Foundation, Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Founder and Chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Sri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Co-Founder and Vice-Chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation delivered keynote addresses. Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi sent a congratulatory message, expressing his appreciation for Akshaya Patra on this momentous occasion.
Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa dedicated this achievement to Srila Prabhupada. He expressed special gratitude to the Government of India, the State governments, the donors, members of the Board of Trustees in India and the Board of Directors of the Akshaya Patra Foundation, USA.
This celebration showcased Akshaya Patra’s success as a model for alleviating hunger and poverty. It also emphasised India’s active role in the holistic development of children right from early childhood through its flagship initiatives. Akshaya Patra has expressed its willingness to share its experience and expertise with other nations to achieve the common goal of a hunger-free world.
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