Narayanan Krishnan – An angel among us
In today’s world that is filled with crimes, corruptions, protests, economic problems and poverty, it’s hard to believe but there are still individuals who are sacrificing themselves for the sake of others, and one of them is Narayanan Krishnan. Although he had a good job as chef and a future in Switzerland, he quit his career to give hope to the mentally ill and homeless on the streets of his home town Madurai.
Video: Video on Narayanan Krishnan by CNN Heroes 2010
As part of his humble beginnings, Narayanan used his own $2500 savings to help the needy. But before succeeding in his intention, he faced struggles and difficulties. He later formed the Akshaya Trust and since 2003 they have served more then 1.5 million meals without missing a single day.Narayanan Krishnan was born on 1981 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu in India. Being an award-winning chef, Narayanan started his career working with Taj Hotels in Bangalore, India. Over the years, he was shortlisted for a 5-star restaurant in Switzerland and was about to leave. However, the turning point of his life started came in 2002 upon witnessing a man eating his own human waste out of hunger. Being shocked and hurt with what he saw, he started feeding that man. Days later, he realized that his mission in the world was clear and that was to feed the mentally ill and homeless for the rest of his life.
Using his own savings, Narayanan Krishnan started making 30 packs of food and started giving them to the poor and homeless on the same year. As months went by, the man realized that he had to form a bigger foundation to help more homeless in the country. In 2003, he established Akshaya Trust where he and his tireless team constantly cooked fresh veggies and started giving them to people 3 times a day.
From 6,300 meals in the previous year, the figures grew to 36,000 as of July 2010. Soon contributions came in from far and wide. In August 2010, they’ve served over 1 million meals to the poor and homeless without missing every single day. On the same year, Krishnan was chosen by CNN as one of the finalists for CNN Heroes of 2010.
In an interview with CNN, he described a single day at work. “Each morning we started at 4:00 AM along with my team in cutting veggies and grinding spices to prepare breakfast for 400 people. After we’re done, we went back to the kitchen for the lunch. Then, after a short break we got busy in preparation for the dinner. We traveled almost 200 kilometers with a van to feed these poor and homeless people” said Krishnan.
Krishnan was asked by the CNN reporter of his future plans. “I’m planning to build dormitories to provide shelter to these homeless people” he answered. To date, Krishnan and his team welcome any financial contributions. Everyone is also encouraged to spread the word and witness their social works. Krishnan’s heroism only proves that any one regardless of gender, profession and status in life can make an effort in changing the world.
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