Newsletter Vol. 01, No. 01 Aug 06 - Feb 07

Akshaya Patra[ ]news & views

Mechanised kitchen in Jaipur unveiled

In conversation with Gururaj ‘Desh’pande

New Year Eve Food Festival

Sonu Nigam's Bollywood Beats Child's Poignant Poetry

06

14

18

19

21

children everyday5,49,608

and the numbers are growing...

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The Akshaya Patra FoundationH K Hill, Chord Road, Bangalore-560 010, India

Ph: 91-80-2347 1956, 2357 8622

Fax: 91-80-2357 8626

E-mail : infodesk@akshayapatra.org

www.akshayapatra.org

AKSHAYA

PATRA

TM

[From the Chairman’s Desk]

here is a very old Greek saying, 'Hunger knows no friend but its feeder'. TAkshaya Patra and its supporters have befriended lakhs of less privileged children and their families.

Akshaya Patra is now six years and eight months old. It has already touched five and half lakh beneficiaries in five states of India, won many awards and impressed both common man and dignitaries alike. What commenced as a humble endeavor of feeding 1,500 children in five schools in one city has now grown in reach and stature, to cover half a million underserved children across India. The Akshaya Patra program has had an amazing growth, overwhelming at times.

But we know, we can't rest on these laurels. We are yet to cover a lot of ground, if the statistics on the number of hungry and out-of-school children in India are anything to go by. Despite the fact that primary education is one of the key thrust areas of policy planners, more than half of India's children are illiterate. Is it not our collective social responsibility to facilitate their education by eliminating the basic hurdle—hunger? India is on the cusp of economic and social prosperity and we need to invest in the lives of today's children to see a better tomorrow.

With a vision that ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger’, the Akshaya Patra program is committed to providing one wholesome meal to school-going children everyday. We will soon be reaching out to one million children in the next couple of years.

This is indeed a huge responsibility. The Foundation is aware that it cannot transform the lives of millions of economically challenged children without the support of concerned individuals, large-hearted corporates and the community as a whole.

With the unwavering support of my highly committed co-trustees and the advisory board members, the Akshaya Patra program owes its success to its donors, supporters and well-wishers from all walks of life. With heartfelt gratitude we would like to thank each one of you for extending a generous helping hand. We hope that this relationship will continue for many more years to come, for we all share a common dream—of India as a developed nation.

Madhu Pandit Dasa

Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation[ ]news & views 02

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n 500 BC, an anonymous Chinese poet wrote: IIf you are thinking a year ahead, sow seeds,

If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree, If you are thinking one hundred years ahead, educate the people.

By sowing a seed once, you will harvest once, By planting a tree, you will harvest tenfold,

By educating people, you will harvest one hundredfold.

[ ]news & views03

[The Akshaya Patra Mid-day Meal Milestones]

That is the power of education. Education is the lifeline of any d e v e l o p i n g c o u n t r y a n d i s undoubtedly the most potent tool for poverty alleviation, economic, social and cultural progress.

Convinced by the enormous power of education and committed to the vision that ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger ’ , t he Akshaya Pa t ra Foundation has been facilitating the education of over five lakh children in 11 locations in India by providing nutritious mid-day meals in schools.

With its headquarters in Bangalore and operating in 10 other locations through dedicated infrastructure and committed personnel, the Foundation is today one of the largest socio-developmental sector initiatives in the

country. It is currently reaching out to 5,49,608 children in 2,889 schools in Bangalore, Bellary, Hubli-Dharwad, Mangalore, Mysore in the state of Karnataka; Jaipur, Nathdwara and Baran in Rajasthan, Puri in Orissa, Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. Hot, freshly-cooked, balanced meals are being provided to these children six days of the week, unfailingly.

Having pioneered the use of adequate technology for program implementation, it has created a precedent in the Indian social sector. However, not wishing to be complacent, the Foundation is continuously making improvements in the infrastructure, bringing about quality control measures, and also making concerted efforts to raise

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[ ]news & views 04

[The Akshaya Patra Mid-day Meal Milestones]funds for this mammoth project. These efforts have resulted in dedicated events such as the Tastes of India food festival and the Corporate Dinner to achieve the twin objectives of creating awareness for the Akshaya Patra program and also generating funds.

Since huge funds are required for

sustaining a program of this magnitude,

maintaining high quality and

expanding into newer areas, the

Foundation is constantly looking at a

combination of innovative and

traditional means to garner funds.

Jaipur kitchen inauguration, Tastes of

India and Corporate Dinner occupy

the pride of place in this quarter's

activity calendar. Meanwhile, there has

been steady growth of the feeding

program in all the locations. Here is a brief sketch of how the

Akshaya Patra program has progressed

in these centers.

India's Silicon Valley, Bangalore, is making rapid strides on all fronts.

Bangalore

But there are still thousands of underprivileged children in this city going to bed hungry and famished. The Akshaya Patra program is gearing up to match the hunger needs of deprived children by including many more into its fold.

As of now, the program distributes wholesome meals in 533 government, government-aided and corporation schools, reaching out to as many as 1,45,000 underserved children. In association with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the program also offers free meals to 1,507 pregnant & nursing women from the marginalised sections of the society.

SATHI (Society for assistance to children in difficult situations) is one such special organisation which has recently come into the program umbrella. SATHI takes care of destitute children who arrive at the railway station, before they fall prey to abuse by miscreants. On special request by SATHI, Akshaya Patra now provides wholesome meals to 30- 40 children housed in its shelter everyday.

Location No. of children No. of schools

Bangalore 145,000 533

Hubli-Dharwad 154,510 647

Bellary 32,590 89

Mangalore 10500 51

Mysore 6,100 19

Program Status in South India

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[ ]news & views05

“This is an excellent project. Healthy children who are well educated are the future of India.”

Bill BoyalPresident, Rotary International.

“ T h e w o r k t h a t Akshaya Patra is doing is simply mind blowing

and stunning. To do this day after day is a humungous task. Hats off to all the people working on this project. ”

- Vani Ganapathy, Renowned classical dancer.

“Thank you for the affirmation of the positive universal values that you practice. The Akshaya Patra and Vidya Akshaya Patra program are humbling and inspiring. ”

Ramli IbrahimSutra Dance Company, Malaysia

Celebrity Speak

Bellary

With the approval of the state government of Karnataka and backed by the financial support of JSW Foundation, the Akshaya Patra program took off in Bellary in June 2006, feeding 3,500 children. In seven months time, the school lunch program has covered 32,590 children in Bellary, Sandur and Hospet talukas, also including 1,500 children from the neighboring district of Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh.

Hubli- Dharwad

Akshaya Patra's largest centre is located in Hubli-Dharwad.

The unique feature of the kitchen here is the design which is based on the principle of gravity, potentially increasing the required operational efficiency and complying to ISO 2200 to meet the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness. Built in a three-storied structure, each floor is designated to preparation, cooking, packing and loading respectively.

The kitchen floor is 45,000 sq ft with an in-built capacity of cooking a three-item menu for 1,50,000 meals in just about four hours of time. The noon-meal program is mainly supported by Smt. Sudha Murty chairperson, Infosys Foundation and Shri. Gururaj and Smt. Jaishree Deshpande of the Deshpande Foundation, USA.

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[The Akshaya Patra Mid-day Meal Milestones]Jaipur

The Akshaya Patra program has been very successful in the Pink city since the time it was launched. At present, the program is reaching out to 80,408 students in 476 schools. Besides, food

is also being served to 2,320 pre-school children in 58 anganwadis and 1,160 pregnant and nursing women to prevent malnutrition at birth.

Being sensitive to the needs of children, the Foundation prepares food in tune with local preferences. Hence a wheat-based menu with rotis (Indian bread) as the mainstay is being offered to children six days of the week. Indigenously designed chappati making machines turn out

fluffy, soft chappatis. While the larger one can produce 10,000 chappatis an hour, the two smaller machines generate 1,000 chappatis each. In addition, more than 200 women roll

out rotis manually to cater to the large number of students and women being fed in Jaipur. This also provides these women remuneration .

On September 29th, 2006, the new mechanised, North Indian menu mid-day meal kitchen, said to be the largest in the world, was inaugurated at Jaipur. The chief guest Smt. Vasundhara Raje, chief minister of Rajasthan lit the lamp after touring the kitchen complex with other famous

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Celebrity Speak

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“I am very much impressed. Hope that more and more people will join the program so as to serve the society & humanity which will result in the better development of great Bharat.”

Justice B C PatelRetd. Chief justice of J& K and

Delhi High Court

Baran, Rajasthan

The socio-economic fabric of Baran, said to be one of the most backward districts of Rajasthan, has undergone a sea change ever since Akshaya Patra created employment opportunities for t r i b a l w o m e n t h r o u g h i t s community kitchens. Clusters of self-help women manage the kitchens, lending a personal touch to the cooking process. Covering 155 schools, the program is currently feeding 15,000 students. In addition, about 1,520 children in 38 anganwadis are provided

“Akshaya Patra is a wonderful program.”

Tarla DalalCulinary Expert,

Mumbai

“Akshaya Patra is beyond my words. This program will have a dramatic effect on the youth of Africa and would make a positive change to all communities there. I pray that we could introduce it there.”

Peter PecralChairman, SA South Cape Town,

South Africa

“Fighting for better education is the key to a better world for the people of India and the world. I wish you luck for your future work.”

Signdur Fluna Pordadoctir

Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iceland

dignitaries such as Smt. Sudha Murty, chairperson of Infosys Foundation, Smt. Rajashree Birla, director, Aditya Vikram Birla Group, Subhash Ghai, renowned film producer and director and Sri Ashok Sancheti, co-ordinator, Jaipur Jewellers of New York.

Two hundred scholarships were presented to meritorious students on the occasion, sponsored by Sri Johari Chandanmal Baid and Sri Chandubai .

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[The Akshaya Patra Mid-day Meal Milestones]

Infosys chief mentorNarayan Murthy

visits Jaipur kitchen

N R Narayan Murthy, chief mentor, Infosys Technologies Ltd, said “This is a wonderful program and needs to be further strengthened. The program should get adequate support so that each and every child in India does not go hungry. This program is a strong supporter of education, which is the future of India .”

food. About 760 pregnant and nursing women also partake meals to protect their unborn babies from poor nutrition.

At Baran , Akshaya Pa t ra recently participated in a polio vaccination program organised at the district level. All the staff members worked as volunteers to create an awareness among the villagers about the importance of polio vaccination and helped them to reach the camps. The Akshaya Patra camp was rated as the best camp in the entire district.

As part of its holistic child development activities, Akshaya Patra organised the distribution of sports kits to children in 50 schools.

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Celebrity Speak

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“This is a great mission of providing food to children. Children will now like to go to schools. Many younger generation children will grow up and help the country in its development.”

Chalit PukbhasukAir Chief Marshal

Thai Air Force

“All of us are impressed by the logistics planning, high standards that have been maintained in the implementation of the nutrition program. The experience has been enriching and we wish that the program is expanded to serve more children.”

Dr. B.S. Anuradha Faculty, National Institute of Public Co-

operation Child Development, New Delhi

“Very inspiring and very innovative! We are thoroughly impressed by the good work being done here (in Vrindavan) Please keep it up and enlarge the reach & coverage of your valuable services.”

N.C.Bajpei Chief Secretary, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh

“We are highly impressed by the social program Akshaya Patra. This is the most important task for the country today.”

Umakant & Ramakant GundechaHindustani classical musicians

Vrindavan, Mathura, UP

The Akshaya Patra program is currently serving wholesome meals to 65,700 students in 458 schools. This number is expected to go up to 66,000 children before the schools close for summer vacations.

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[The Akshaya Patra Mid-day Meal Milestones]Puri, Orissa

Although the mid-day meal program had commenced in March 2006, starting with 500 children in 10 schools, it was formally inaugurated only on the 14th of December 2006 by

Program Status in North India

Location No. of children No. of schools

Jaipur 80,408 476

Baran 15,000 155

Nathdwara 12,300 134

Vrindavan 65,700 458

Puri 27,500 222

Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik, Collector of Puri. As on date, Akshaya Patra is feeding 27,500 children with a menu of rice, dalma (lentils with vegetables) and curds six days of the week. The program now covers 222 schools.

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[Education Incentives]he Akshaya Patra program is much more than free food for T

children. It goes beyond the physical needs of children to provide a holistic development environment. By periodically conducting skills-oriented workshops and teacher training programs for teachers in government and corporation schools, the program strives to improve the quality of teaching. This in turn results in better comprehension among students and a more interesting learning experience, reflecting in higher grades in the Board exams.

With the financial support of the government of Karnataka and resource support of the Policy Planning Unit and the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), 821 teachers were trained by the Akshaya Patra Foundation on institutional planning and mid-day meal management. This training program was conducted in November ‘06 to enable the heads of institutions to develop their own plan of action for all round development of their respective schools.

In partnership with the IT company, ANZ Operations and Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Akshaya Patra has introduced computer education program in some

Teachers Training

Computer Education in Schools

?To enable the students to understand the basics of computer programming, E-mail and Internet.

To start with, it was decided to introduce computer literacy in 11 government & corporation schools where Akshaya Patra is serving mid-day meals. ANZ will provide training and service, hardware and software support. Already the company has supplied 100 computers to these schools.

Similarly, 79 members of the School Betterment Committees of government schools have also been trained in the areas of consolidating

Community Leaders training

select schools in Bangalore. The objectives of this project are:?To enable the students to gain

computer education and to understand its applications.

?To enhance the learning levels of students in curricular subjects through computer aided education.

?To open the world of opportunities of computers to the students.

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[ ]news & views13

Multinutrients distribution

The health profile of children from the lower strata of society leaves much to be desired. Due to unhygienic living conditions, children suffer from various health problems like worm infestations, vitamin deficiencies and multiple infections.

Akshaya Patra provides children

balanced, wholesome meals as prescribed by nutritionists once a day during lunchtime. To further fortify this offering, Akshaya Patra organises the distribution of oral food supplements in the form of vitamin, iron and folic acid capsules. In addition, it also arranges for free medical checkups periodically to assess the health of these children.

To help school authorities manage the distribution effectively, the program trains heads of institutions in administering the multinutrients. This quarter, 678 head masters of the Dharwad Education Distr ict were t rained in the administering of multinutrients. This program was sponsored by the government, while M.S. Ramiah Medical College offered resource support. Over 7,00,000 children in the Hubli-Dharwad district area were given multinutrient capsules that were sponsored by Dr. Reddy's Labs.

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[Education Incentives]

Joining hands with the Akshaya Patra Foundation, Bangalore-based organisations Activity India and The Learning Society conducted a unique inter-school literary and cultural festival called Sinchana 2007 (Suvarna Karnataka Chinnara Utsava), for Kannada medium government schools and corporation schools in Bangalore.

The event, built around the rich culture of Karnataka, featured 10 different competitions for students from 6th to 9th grade. It enabled children to bring to fore a gamut of their hitherto unexplored talents through music, drama, dance, etc.

and raising local resources for the improvement of infrastructure in their

scored high grades in the HSC examination 2005-2006 in Puri Educational District were awarded scholarships recently in Puri, Orissa.

Interschool Literary

& Cultural Fest

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[In conversation with Gururaj ‘Desh’pande ]

n behalf of the Akshaya Patra Foundation Oand all its beneficiaries, we would first of all like to thank you for your immense support to the cause of less privileged children. Could you elaborate on the reasons for establishing the Deshpande Foundation? What are its major focus areas?

We started the Deshpande Foundation in 1995 to give back to the communities that have given us so much – the United States and India. Both my wife Jaishree and me believe in the importance of philanthropy, civic participation and social entrepreneurship. We are using the Foundation as a vehicle to support efforts in these areas. In addition to Akshaya Patra, our main activities are the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT, in Cambridge, MA; and the Deshpande Foundation Sandbox, which is an effort to support innovative NGOs with scalable solutions in Northwest Karnataka.

Can you please tell us what was the inspiration to support Akshaya Patra? Was there any incident/thought that acted as a catalyst?

We have been very impressed with Akshaya Patra since we first heard about the program a few years ago. It is exactly the type of organisation that we want to support in India– one that is using very talented people to design solutions that help the most vulnerable segments of Indian society– the children. It is amazing to watch Akshaya Patra succeed and

“Akshaya Patra is a beacon of hope and inspiration to everyone in India”

Known as a man who doesn't

work for companies, but

builds them, Dr. Gururaj

Deshpande is a technology

entrepreneur, venture

capitalist and philanthropist

all rolled into one. Founder

chairman of Sycamore

Networks, Deshpande is a

doctorate in data

communications from Queens

University, Canada.

A graduate of IIT, Madras, he

has funded his alma mater

besides pledging support to

Akshaya Patra in Hubli-

Dharwad. He has been

instrumental in taking

Akshaya Patra to the USA

by helping to set up an

administrative office in

Boston. He shares his

candid views on his social

responsibilities and

inspiration to support such

programs.

[ ]news & views 14

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grow at such a rapid pace.

Does your family support you in your philanthropic activities? To what extent are they involved?

The Deshpande Foundation is very much a family affair. Jaishree and me are both trustees of the Foundation. Jaishree is very involved with the Sandbox project. Our two sons are also involved in developing the Foundation's mission and supporting specific causes of interest to them.

As an established and well-known tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist, you have seen companies grow and flourish, giving you great satisfaction. How would you describe the joy you get with projects like Akshaya Patra?

Akshaya Patra is a testimonial for what Indian organisations can achieve when they use their new-found global perspective and experience to benefit their fellow human beings. By combining good management, an innovative use of technology and smart engineering, Akshaya Patra has built a model to deliver school lunch at a fraction of the cost of similar

[ ]news & views15

programs in other parts of the world. It is a model for how things can quickly change for the better with the right combination of ingenuity, dedication and smart people. Akshaya Patra is a beacon of hope and inspiration to everyone in India, and will, no doubt, motivate many other people to develop similar ground-breaking solutions for India's most challenging problems.

As a global Indian, what do you think is the commitment and responsibility of NRIs towards charitable organisations and their work in India?

The NRI community can play an important role in supporting Akshaya Patra and the work of charitable organisations in India. NRIs have strong ties to India and have a deep desire to see Indians get the same standard of living that we have here in the United States. In addition, they want to see Indian culture continue wi th the second genera t ion . Supporting charitable organisations is one way for the NRI community to give back to India and involve their children as well.

“Akshaya Patra is a testimonial for what Indian

organisations can achieve when they use their

new-found global perspective and experience to

benefit their fellow human beings”.

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[In conversation with Gururaj ‘Desh’pande ]What should be the strategy of

the Akshaya Patra Foundation to reach out to the vast Indian diaspora and garner funds as well as support?

Akshaya Patra is well-positioned to garner support from the Indian diaspora because it has a successful model, a top-notch management team, and most importantly, it is addressing two of the most critical issues facing India – malnutrition and education. In addition, the Indian diaspora is now coming of age philanthropically. It

has the money to support Akshaya Patra and the desire to see it succeed, particularly in their hometowns in India.

This is why we are supporting Akshaya Patra's efforts to expand its US operations. We believe that by having a strong US-based office, Akshaya Patra will be able to reach out regularly to the Indian-American community in new and interesting ways.

Would it be possible to tap the American population as well?

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The IT industry has changed the image of India on the global canvas. How best can we leverage the current scenario?

Yes, the American population will rush to support Akshaya Patra as they find out about it. Americans have a s t rong his tory of personal ly supporting worthwhile causes abroad, from disasters to microcredit programs. Akshaya Patra should find ways to reach American citizens through local partnerships. We will need to educate them about malnutrition in India, about the importance of helping the next generation, and the fact that they can help for as little as $28 a year to feed a child for the whole year.

Do you think that Akshaya Patra should continue to focus on its core mid-day meal service for children or should look at other allied activities as well?

Akshaya Patra should continue to focus on its core mid-day meal program. Even though it has achieved tremendous success, it has still only scratched the surface of the malnutrition problem in India. There are 57 million children in India who suffer from malnutrition according to UNICEF, and even with our success, we still only reach 5,00,000.

However, I believe Akshaya Patra should develop partnerships with

similar organisations that can provide complimentary services in health and education. This way, a lot of needs can be met without the burden falling on one organisation.

The development sector is very well established in UK, US, etc; what do you think is lacking in India?

There are two ways in which the NGO sector is better established in the United States. First, there is a long tradition of private philanthropy and civic participation. This has created a space for the NGO/civic sector in the US to be vibrant and strong for over 400 years. Although India is a thriving democracy, it often relies a lot more on government support than Americans do to get things done. India needs to strengthen the NGO sector as a vehicle to strengthen its own civic traditions.

Secondly, the NGO sector is seen as the third pillar of the US economy, alongside the private sector and government. This has resulted in comprehensive legal structures, t r a in ing p rograms fo r NGO professionals, and partnership with the other sectors to achieve societal change.

“Akshaya Patra has only scratched the surface of the malnutrit ion problem in India”.

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[ ]news & views 18

[Events in Aid of Akshaya Patra]ustaining a mammoth project as SAkshaya Patra is a herculean task,

requiring constant inflow of funds from varied quarters, the Akshaya Patra Foundation leaves no stone unturned in its effort to solicit financial support. Notwithstanding the part subsidies from the central and state governments, contributions from corporate donors and philanthropists, the Foundation conducts fun-filled events to muster public support. The proceedings from these events are directed towards running the program. Tastes of India food festival and Corporate Dinner are two such fund-raisers held in the recent past.

A multicultural vegetarian food festival that is held on the eve of New Year in Bangalore, Tastes of India, is now in its fourth edition. Built

Tastes of India

around the theme of food delights from India and its neighboring countries with cultural ties, this year's festival on 31st of December 2006 and 1st January 2007, offered an amazing array of 58 dishes.

The festival inaugurated by popular Kannada actress, Sudharani, had exotic, heritage cuisine of countries that have had socio-cultural and linguistic links with India for centuries.

Regional specialties include kakori kebabs & kabuli naan from Afghanistan, Burmese Khou suey, momos from Nepal, gado gado from Indonesia, bonchi uyala from Sri Lanka, zafrani kofta and khubani ka meeta from Pakistan, besides flavoured rumali roti, dum biriyani, etc. The mouthwatering dishes were all pure vegetarian, without onion and garlic. Yet another addition this year was a range of exotic ice creams without any additives and made of natural fruits.

The food festival is held annually to raise funds for Akshaya Patra. It is an event that allows epicureans to feast on delectable cuisine in the knowledge that their enjoyment will benefit needy children. This year, close to 4,500 people from all over Bangalore, gladly participated in the food festival, raising hopes for many underprivileged children.

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Corporate Dinner

Having achieved a mark of serving wholesome food to more than 5,00,000 children, the Foundation commemorated the occasion with a musical performance by Bollywood's celebrity singer Sonu Nigam coupled with a gala dinner on February 9th 2007 at Palace Grounds, Bangalore. It was also a thanksgiving gesture to corporates who have contributed generously to the mid-day meal program.

The exclusive evening performance, had the audience of over 2,800 swaying to his mellifluous voice. Sonu Nigam and his team of singers and

dancers, cast a musical spell on the audience with a series of foot-tapping chartbusters. Prior to his performance, a heartwarming presentation on the Akshaya Patra program by the chairman of the Foundation Madhu Pandit Dasa and its vice chairman,

Chanchalapthi Dasa, had the audience in rapt attention. Moved by the plight of needy children in India, many in the crowd were seen wiping away tears.

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The event was attended by the who's who in the city. Sudha Murty, chairperson, Infosys Foundation, Rani Satish, former minister for culture, Vijay Bhaskar, Principal Secre tary, Dept . of Pr imary Education, Karnataka government, Kannada actress Vinaya Prasad were some of the prominent names.

Financial institutions such as Enam Financial Consultants, ICICI Bank, Enam Securities, Standard

No child in Indiashall be deprived

of education because of hunger.

[Vision Statement]

Chartered Bank, KPMG, HDFC Asset Management, Deutsche Bank, Deep Financial Consultants, DSP Merrill Lynch etc., pitched in with their support to make this event a huge success.

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[Child's Poignant Poetry ]anjunath, a 10th grade student of Government High School, Rajajinagar has rendered his M

thoughts on Akshaya Patra in a Kannada poem. We wanted to share this poem with you. It was humbling for us, not only to read his beautiful thoughts on Akshaya Patra, but also the fact that in the far corners of the less privileged child’s world, talent glows unhindered.

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Noble is the goal of Akshaya PatraBlessing for the underprivileged

Blessed are we that we are under its shadeLet its music spread everywhere

Toiling it is, for our benefitReaching us timely and without fail

Akshaya Patra is the lighting lamp of our lifePray that it be truly – Akshaya – inexhaustible

Leads the underprivileged to lightBrings a twinkle in every pupil’s eyeNoble is the goal of Akshaya Patra

Unfortunate are those who do not appreciate this

From darkness to lightFrom gloom to bloom

From drowning in the deep sea to safety Akshaya Patra is the beacon of our life

Noble is the cause of Akshaya Patra

Translation:

[ ]news & views 22

[Child's Poignant Poetry ]

We solicit your feedback/ suggestions/ comments.

Please write to us at

infodesk@akshayapatra.org

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Yes, I wish to encourage the education of underprivileged children by sponsoring

Akshaya Patra mid-day meals @ Rs1,200 per child per year for

05 children : Rs 6,000

10 children : Rs 12,000

15 children: Rs 18,000

No. of Children: Amount:

Name of the Sponsor:

Mailing Address:

Office Tel: Res Tel: Mobile No.:

Email: Pan No.: Date of Birth:

I wish to make my contribution by:

(a) Cash (b) Cheque or DD in favour of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, Bangalore.

Name of Bank: Cheque/ DD No:

Visa Card/ Master Card/ Diners Card

Card No.: Expiry Date:

CVV No.: Enrolment date: Enrolled by:

Introduced by :

Have you donated for this Akshaya Patra program before? Yes No

Donor's signature Date

I wish to sponsor Akshaya Patra mid-day meals because:

Donations are eligible for 100% tax deduction

under section 35AC/80GGA(bb) of IT Act.

[Donation Form] AKSHAYA

PATRA

TM

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6-F

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The Akshaya Patra FoundationH K Hill, Chord Road, Bangalore-560 010, India

Ph: 91-80-2347 1956, 2357 8622

Fax: 91-80-2357 8626

E-mail : infodesk@akshayapatra.org

www.akshayapatra.org