: 28-YO Feeds 5 Lakh Destitute Educates Slum Kids; The Reason Will Move You to Tears #IndiaNEWS Two years ago, Nilay Agarwal was just another employee living in the corporate jungle of Gurugram. But

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28-YO Feeds 5 Lakh Destitute Educates Slum Kids; The Reason Will Move You to Tears #IndiaNEWS
Two years ago, Nilay Agarwal was just another employee living in the corporate jungle of Gurugram.
But today, he is the face of an organisation that is leading over 3,000 youngsters to feed 5 lakh destitute across 10 cities. He has built five tin shed schools in slums, which are educating 500 children and counting.

Employed at GlobalLogic as a senior ontologist, he still finds time to devote to his initiative.
Taking the First Step
The 28-year-old says that he had always dreamed of doing his bit towards eradicating the bane of hunger but it was only after a life-altering incident that he dared to step out of his comfort zone to do something about it.
“In 2018, I lost a friend, Vishalakshi, to a car accident. She was young and full of potential, until her life ended in a single moment. It was then that I realised how privileged I was to be here with all the dreams that I had. So I decided to not waste a single moment and start contributing my time to a noble cause,� he relates.
With zero knowledge about setting up a social organisation, he simply made a few cookies and distributed them in a nearby NGO at first. Employing social media, he uploaded a video of the interaction online.
“At first, people laughed at me. They didn’t believe I was serious or had any long term plans. But I knew I was going to go on until my actions made a difference,� he says.
When one after the other similar initiatives by this lone warrior were noticed, netizens started coming forward to join him.
Sankalp Tandon, one of Nilay’s acquaintances, decided to help him upon seeing his work. “We would host weekend food drives and distribute ration kits to the destitute around the city. Even today, I devote around six hours a week to the cause,� he says.
That’s how the NGO Vishalakshi Foundation was set up in memory of his friend. With it sprouted its first programme — Project Hunger.
While working a job from 7. 30 am to 4. 30 pm on weekdays, he started spending all his remaining hours in the NGO. Whatever salary he would receive was spent on feeding the poor.
As he says, no one has a stronger will than the youth of a country. Considering this as his only resource, he started reaching out to students of Delhi University to join the programme. “I first appointed leaders in 22 colleges. They then went on to reach out to their peers and form volunteer groups in their respective institutions,� he says.
While the students offered enthusiastic manpower, online crowdfunding platforms like Milaap. org and Donatekart. com assisted with funding campaigns that could support the upscaling of operations.
In 2020, the NGO was recognised by the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandibai Patel for its widespread efforts.

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