Swamijis, Bishop and Ministers Lay Foundation Stone for Akshaya Patra Mega Kitchen
Swamijis, Bishop & Ministers Lay Foundation Stone for Rs 12 Crore Akshaya Patra Mega Kitchen on a 2.5 acre land donated by Dr V Ravichandran – CEO Diya Systems, Mangalore Pvt. Ltd. in Kodman village, Benjanapadavu(behind Canara Engineering College). This project is undertaken by Akshaya Patra Foundation in association with GT Foundation and Diya Systems Pvt.Ltd. The kitchen will serve mid-day meals to over 50,000 Government School Children in Dakshina Kannada district.
Mangaluru: The Akshaya Patra Foundation in association with GT Foundation & Diya Systems Pvt.Ltd organized foundation stone laying ceremony to build a mega kitchen in Mangaluru. This kitchen will serve mid-day meals to over 50,000 children from the year 2019. A ‘Bhoomi Puja’ was held on Friday, 22 December 2017 along with the lighting of the lamp ceremony to usher an auspicious start to the undertaking. The ceremony was organised by The Akshaya Patra Foundation at the new kitchen premises in Kodman village, Benjanapadavu (behind Canara Engineering College).
Among the eminent dignitaries present at the event were Shri Shri Vidyadheesha Threertha Swamiji – Srimad Jagadguru Madwacharya Mahasamsthanam, Sri Palimaru Math Udupi, Shri Shri Ishapriya Theertha Swamiji – Junior Swamiji of Shri Adamaru Math, Udupi, Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza – Bishop of Mangaluru Diocese; Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa- Vice-Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, and Shridhar Venkat among others.
The event was also graced by prominent personalities namely Ramanath Rai – District In-charge Minister; Nalin Kumar Kateel – MP; U T Khader – Minister for Food and Public Distribution; H Kumar – Managing Director, MRPL, Mangaluru, Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi – Hon. Chancellor, Yenepoya University; Meenakshi Shantigodu – President, Zilla Panchayat, Capt. Ganesh Karnik- MLC; J R Lobo – MLA, Mangaluru South Constituency, Vandana Tilak- CEO of Akshaya Patra, USA; K Chandrahasa Karkera – President, Taluk Panchayat; Kavitha Sanil – Mayor, Mangaluru, Sasikanth Senthil S – IAS, Deputy Commissioner; Ganesh Suvarna – Taluk Panchayat Member – Thumbe Gram; Ravindra Kambli – Zilla Panchayat Member – PuduKshetra; Sathish Naiga Kodman Kodi– President-Mera Majalu Gram Panchayat.
The dignitaries present expressed their happiness for being a part of an initiative which is addressing the National issue to eradicate the classroom hunger in India. They congratulated The Akshaya Patra Foundation for successfully completing 17 years of implementing the school lunch programme and also appreciated GT Foundation, Diya Systems Pvt. Ltd. for partnering with the foundation to boost and promote education with delicious, healthy meals across government schools in Dakshina Kannada district.
Speaking at the ceremony Dr V Ravichandran said “My dream of building an automated kitchen facility to nourish 50,000 underprivileged school children from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi region on a daily basis through Akshaya Patra Foundation has finally turned into a reality almost after 5 years. I cannot express in words how happy my family and I are and we thank God almighty for his blessings upon us. We dedicate ourselves with passion, commitment, determination and perseverance to complete this project and nurture 50,000 school children and become instrumental in eradicating malnutrition and provide an opportunity for the children to continue their education and make them greater citizens and leaders of tomorrow. “
Bishop Fr Aloysius P D’souza said, “On this occasion, I also want to thank Dr V Ravichandran who has also helped the Mangaluru Catholic Diocese towards construction cost of an Ashram. Everyone should appreciate the generosity of Dr Ravichandran to the society, where he helps the community irrespective of caste or creed. This project by Akshaya Patra to feed hungry children is indeed a good deed by the organization. In the Bible there is a proverb which says,’ For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Similarly, Akshaya Patra is doing yeomen service by feeding the hungry children. May God bless all the people behind this project”.
At the occasion, Shri Chanchalapathi Dasa – Vice-Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, while expressing his gratitude to GT Foundation and Diya Systems Pvt.Ltd, said, “We are empowered by community participation and this is a remarkable example of what we can do when we all join hands for a common cause. It has always been our endeavour to reach more children while ensuring sustainability for our kitchens. Food security is one of the major concerns of our country and I am glad we are able to come together to address this persistent impediment. It is important that we, as conscious individuals do whatever is necessary for the children, the community and our society.”
Karunya Sagar Dasa, President, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Mangaluru, said, “We are immensely grateful to GT Foundation and Diya Systems Pvt. Ltd for supporting us and joining us in furthering the cause of serving children with nutritious school meals. Currently, Akshaya Patra is serving 14,000 children in 135 schools in Mangaluru and with this partnership, we will be able to reach out to 50,000 school children. We are thankful for empowering us to reach out to more children. We are also extremely thankful for the Centre and Government of Karnataka for extending a great support in this meal programme by being our major stakeholders. As we know, hunger and malnutrition are two critical concerns of the nation which have to be addressed before it affects our children; the proposed kitchen set up is our humble attempt to make sure children get the necessary nutrition as well as a good education.”
The upcoming mega kitchen will be set up with adherence to all good manufacturing practices, use of technology and innovation.
About The Akshaya Patra Foundation:
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The organisation strives to fight issues like hunger and malnutrition in India. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government schools and Government aided schools, the Foundation aims not only to fight hunger but also to bring children to school. Since 2000, the organisation has worked towards reaching more children with wholesome food on every single school day. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children.
Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and they attract curious visitors from around the world. In partnership with the Government of India, various State Governments and inestimable support from many philanthropic donors and well-wishers; Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across 5 schools. Today, Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) Mid-Day Meal Programme serving wholesome food to over 1.66 million children from 13,839 schools across 12 states in India.For more details visit https://www.akshayapatra.org/
If anyone wants to help out at the ‘Akshaya Patra’ you are most welcomed by the management. Every one of us, at some time in our life, feels like contributing towards the betterment of the society. But among the various obstacles faced by many of us in doing so, are limitations pertaining to time. In order to tackle these and give you the opportunity to support our cause of uplifting underprivileged school children in our area and beyond, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has made volunteering provisions that will give you the freedom to spread their message without disturbing your schedule. As per the management you are not obligated nor will be forced to join their organization, (joining their movement is your wish)- but your volunteerism is very much encouraged by them.
So if you feel like volunteering, fundraising and other activities, you can reach ‘The Akshaya Patra Foundation’ at Arya samaj road, Balmatta, Mangalore-575003; Phone: 0824-2410722, 0824-2454498 Website: www.akshayapatra.org
