MUMBAI — Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will sponsor free meals for 1,000 underprivileged children under the Annamrita Midday Meal Scheme of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, an official said here Nov. 6.

Her decision, which came on the occasion of her 44th birthday Nov. 1, will be of immense benefit to the children, said Radhanath Swamij, head of ISKCON Chowpatty.

He said the Annamrita Foundation’s midday meal scheme, which was launched in 2004 in a small room with 900 meals, has now grown to serve over 1.20 million children in seven states, through 20 hi-tech ISO certified kitchens.

Recalling the roots behind the idea, Radhanath Swami said his guru, Bhaktivedanta Shrila Prabhupad had once witnessed a dog and a child fighting over a food packet thrown in a dustbin and the incident had left him shaken.

“He then instructed all his devotees that no child in a 10-mile radius of the ISKCON Temple should go hungry. The temple has been distributing Krishna Prasad in the form of ‘khichdi’ since the past 13 years to poor people in the vicinity and lakhs more through the Annamrita Foundation projects,” he said.

Read more: http://www.indiawest.com/entertainment/bollywood/aishwarya-rai-bachchan-to-feed-kids-for-a-year-through/article_c4770cc6-c32b-11e7-b1a8-5fb51ac2fd34.html