I was six years old when the crops in my father’s field failed, and almost overnight, we were on the roads. We had no roof over our heads and had a debt to pay, so we had to sell everything. Papa started working as a daily wage worker and we could only manage living hand to mouth. When he would not have work during festivals, we would sometimes sleep hungry. My studies took a hit, so I started washing plates in a nearby hotel.
The Hotel Owner Beat Us Because We Went To See A Match
One day, my brother and I left work and went to watch a match; the hotel owner beat us up for that. Fortunately, a teacher from our school was passing by, and he stopped and saved us. The next day, he came to where we were staying and got us admitted to an NGO. I still remember I was so happy. However, the school got closed after I passed 10th, and things started going downhill again. I started work again, but this time in an ashram, where they helped me to pass class 12, after which I joined a college in Hyderabad.
You don’t always find kind people everywhere. Since I could not afford to buy books, the teachers would not let me sit in their classes. I began to work part-time as a waiter in a nearby resort. After my shift, I could eat the leftovers at night. However, every night I saw how much leftover food is being wasted, and I would stay up all night being worried about it.
I gathered Few Friends And Started Distributing Food
I gathered a few of my friends, and together, we would pack the leftover food and start distributing it. Usually, when we sit to eat, we wash our hands and choose a clean place to sit and eat. But when we went to distribute the food, these people were so hungry that they tore open their packets and started eating wherever they could. It broke my heart to see this, and I resolved that I will continue to do this service as long as I am alive.
It has been ten years since I started my ‘Don’t Waste Food’ campaign, and now I do my corporate job during the day and feed the hungry during the night. We have a tie-up with a hotel; We feed 500 people living in slums, government hospitals, and footpaths every day. I can understand their pain. Once a child came to me and said, ‘You are God.’ After all, what had I done? Just brought him food… isn’t this series enough to encourage you to help the hungry?”
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