Akshay Patra Controversy

Via Ramachandra Roddam

NOTE ON AKSHAYA PATRA ISSUE

Well its a blatant truth that there are many 'enlightened' activists who think that Hindu organizations are inherently incapable of doing any good to society. On the contrary they also know , very well, which theologies & religions are entitled to be 'saviours'. Its time for you to move on.

Firstly aspect of Seva by serving food ( Annadanam , i dont know what to say in English) , is deeply ingrained in Indian psyche for centuries. Most temples run massive prasad seva programs that can startle the 'Developed' nations. They can do even better if state government's were not controlling their administration. Even in langars in Gurudwaras , it is just mammoth scale. Why so ? Its simple , food nourishes Prana. Prana is life. If there is no Life , there is nothing. Done.

Mid day meals program was introduced by the central government in Mid 90's. If one were to look objectively , with one of the world's worst public distribution system , this initiative had miserable outcomes for long time. It only perpetuated/perpetuates large scale corruption , where state educational administration colludes. No one wants to even put finger into such initiatives. That Akshay Patra took a plunge into this , is in itself a daring step. I have worked with few projects which are Public Private Partnership (PPP) models. it would suffice to say , they are most painful models for institutions which want to sincerely serve and most beneficial for vampires.

I have tracked the growth of Akshay Patra closely , and they have been wise. Its always prudent to scale slowly in PPP models. From being just Bangalore centric in 2001 , they scaled to the state and then gradually to other states. They now serve close to 1.7 MILLION children EVERY DAY across India , mostly in state government schools , a 'NUTRITIOUS' meal. Can you imagine , what is the logistical precision that is needed to achieve this goal ?

Their kitchens are one of the most gigantic spaces that are run professionally , with impressive hygiene standards. Hygiene , yes, your spiteful intentions should first measure the hygiene & nutrition levels in schools where midday meals are served by NGO's which are facades of Corrupt leaders. Your brain will turn numb, if you recount horror stories of what a typical mid day meal looks like in a government school.

I post here a brilliant and comprehensive documentary by NatGeo( Hindi ) about the kitchens of AkP. Even by looking at the documentary one can note that , despite absence of onion and garlic, there is nutrition surpassing prescribed standards. In your convoluted brain , juxtapose this with mirage of Daal that is served during mid day meal, which in fact is the only incentive in a poor household to send their children to government school, which other wise is the most suffocating place on earth.

Finally, you think that people who adorn shikha , who adorn tilak, who adorn tulsi beads, who wear ochre robe , or any insignia or symbol related to Hindu religion are incapable of running a professional institution, that can do greater good, its time to find a good therapy session. it helps to unburden oneself of prejudice.

Let me conclude with anecdote which inspired this fabulous work . Once when Srila Prabhupad , Founder ISKCON , was in their Mayapur temple , he saw bunch of kids fighting and shoeing away dogs , to get hold of some food. This shook him to the core and he said " why should children of Krishna starve ?' , this anecdote remains at the base of this Seva.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

Its called Maha Mantra, power of which was unraveled by a great Bhakta from Gauda desha ( BENGAL) , yes it has Rama in it inscribed thoroughly.