On a regular school day we visited Namma Kiriya Prathamika Shalley and it happened to be lunchtime at the school. The school looked like one of Bengaluru’s typical Sunday Soul Sante grounds. Strings of children wearing naughty grins were seen speedily scaling school walls while some were found jostling to have the first dollop of bisi bele bath on their plates. With the lunch bell exploding and happy chatters giving way to the brooding school ambience, children formed bee lines to sample their favourites, bisi bele bath and kesari bath.

Hearty laughs and endless gossips filled the air while the corridors remained chock-a-block with children frantically running in every possible direction playing their favourite sports. The school staff serving the day’s menu were almost gheraoed by children waiting to sprint away and occupy the few empty benches in hope of enjoying their lunch over some giggles with their best buddies.

In one such bench we spotted our little Shirisha. When we approached her, Shirisha with a beaming smile said that she is a class topper and she regularly helps the school staff in distributing the mid-day meals to her friends and also volunteers in keeping her classroom clean. When we asked her whether she likes Akshaya Patra’s food or not, she immediately replied, “Akshaya Patra’s food is very tasty and it increases my concentration and helps me remain active in class.” Shirisha herself revealing her future plans said that she aspires of becoming a teacher and will teach small children in schools.

We also happened to meet her friend Vinitha K who is a student of Standard VI. Vinitha is also an Akshaya Patra beneficiary and upon inquiring she said, “I love the food that Akshaya Patra is providing us. The food keeps me energetic throughout the day and I can practice my dance lessons without getting tired.” In addition she also said that besides Kannada being her favourite subject she loves dancing too and this has earned her five awards in the past.

Like Shirisha, Vinitha too dreams of becoming a teacher later in her life and hence we sincerely wish both the girls all the best for their future endeavours!