Hunger makes dreams thinner. India has close to 8.1 million children (www.worldbank.org.in) who forgo education to earn their daily meal. “Feed the Hunger” is an initiative by Akshaya Patra in an effort to give children a chance to nourish their dreams. For this reason, we gave an opportunity to the children served by our programme to contour and colour their hopes. The result was vibrant, original and delightful artworks that chronicle their ambitions.

Sandalwood’s popular actor, Puneeth Rajkumar, officially launched Akshaya Patra’s “Feed the Hunger” campaign on Saturday 2 February 2013 to show how one wholesome meal in a day is not just feeding a child's hungry stomach but is feeding a bigger hunger - the inquisitive mind of a child who wants to learn and achieve something in life. The campaign saw 250 school children from the Government Primary and High School, Palace Guttahalli, Bangalore, painting their aspirations on canvas.

Along with Puneeth Rajkumar other noted dignitaries namely Dr. Ashwathanarayana C.N - MLA, Malleshwaram; M Vijaya Kumari- Corporator, Rajamahal Guttahalli;Anjanappa- Block Education Officer; Bharatarshabha Dasa- Head Communications; and Shridhar Venkat- Executive Director, The Akshaya Patra Foundation were a part of this event. Every one expressed the significance of the mid-day meal in ending classroom hunger. 

Speaking on the occasion Puneeth Rajkumar said, “If you want to do something good to the society then support initiatives like Akshaya Patra.” Talking about “Feed the Hunger” campaign Bharatarshabha Dasa said, “Hunger and education are interlinked. So when we keep the child fed while at school, they can go on to pursue their dreams.”

The day also saw the launch of the micro site www.feedthehunger.in by Puneeth Rajkumar. This micro site will contain the artworks of 1.3 million children from across the 19 locations where Akshaya Patra is operating. Each artwork is a colourful depiction of the dream each child wants to achieve. The campaign will be conducted phase wise starting with Bangalore location. This site will be a platform for all supporters to support the cause. You too can be instrumental in ensuring that these dreams don’t go unrealized and thereby enable them to dream big and achieve bigger. As a gesture of goodwill and thank you from the children and the Foundation every supporter will receive an art card. Supporters will also be able to download the art works from the site.

Akshaya Patra is a Bangalore based NGO, currently feeding 1.3 million children across 19 locations in 9 states of India. The Foundation is constantly working towards its vision of “No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger” and aims to feed 5 million children by 2020.