The Joy Of Giving : Narayanan Krishnan

TO GIVE WITHOUT A REASON

TEDx Talks
(Uploaded on Feb 15, 2012)

Narayanan Krishnan (Born 1981) is an Indian chef turned social worker. He quit his career as a leading chef and began supplying meals to the homeless in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, beginning in 2002.

With a degree in hand and future in sight, Narayanan was on his way to be an award-winning chef at a 5-star restaurant in Switzerland.

All it took to change his plans forever was a walk on the streets of his home town of Madurai, India. It was then that he was taken aback by an elderly man lying on the side of the road. This man was starving and filthy. Narayanan reached out to this old man who placed his frail, wrinkled dirty hand upon his. This was a defining moment.

Narayanan decided in this moment that helping this man and those in need would be a life well-lived, providing him the happiness and fulfillment he had yet to experience until this moment.

Though many of the people helped by Narayanan need much more than a meal, it was a good place to start and so Akshaya’s Helping in H.E.L.P. Trust was established as a charitable organization based in India.

Starting in 2002, utilizing his own personal savings, Narayanan fed around 30 people. In 2003, he began to serve freshly-cooked meals, and has since served over 1.7 million meals as of August 2011.