From Hubli to the World: How Akshaya Patra Became a Global Model for Service

As the co-chair of the Akshaya Patra South Florida Chapter, I was deeply honored to be part of  —an evening filled with compassion, inspiration, and purpose. It was heartwarming to see so many friends, supporters, and community members come together to celebrate Akshaya Patra’s incredible mission of nourishing children and empowering education across India.

This year’s gala was especially meaningful for me because we had the privilege of hosting Dr. Desh Deshpande as our chief guest and keynote speaker. Dr. Deshpande, a visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist, shared the remarkable story of how Akshaya Patra’s journey began and how it grew into the world’s largest school meal program. A highly respected business leader, Dr. Deshpande co-founded several successful technology companies, including Sycamore Networks and Cascade Communications, which helped shape the telecommunications industry. Beyond his entrepreneurial achievements, he has been deeply involved in academia and innovation as the founding donor of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT, an institution dedicated to translating breakthrough research into real-world impact. His leadership and philanthropic vision have inspired countless individuals across both business and social sectors.

Listening to him recount the early struggles, the innovative solutions, and the passionate dedication that brought the organization to where it stands today was both humbling and inspiring.

As I listened to his words that evening, I couldn’t help but feel immense pride and gratitude—for the dedicated volunteers, donors, and leaders who continue to make Akshaya Patra’s vision a reality. This gala reminded us all that when compassion meets excellence, miracles truly happen.

Raj Shah

 

 

Dr. Deshpande began by detailing the early challenges of scaling Akshaya Patra from a small, nascent effort to a massive, well-funded organization. He emphasized that growing a nonprofit, much like a for-profit company, requires strategic investment.

This insight was summarized when he stated, “Raising money for a nonprofit to scale the organization is quite an art.”

He expanded on the initial skepticism from the board regarding fundraising costs, explaining their difficulty in accepting that money meant for feeding children could be used for overhead: “They just couldn’t comprehend how when somebody gives you money to feed a child, you can actually use that to print brochures.” Dr. Deshpande and his wife, Jayshree, personally funded the first few years of fundraising operations to prove its value. This commitment has paid off, as Akshaya Patra is now a thousand-crore operation. He proudly stated, “You’ll be very proud to know that Akshay Pathra last year was a thousand-crore operation in India.” He also noted that most support is now local: “The other proud part of it is that 90% of those funds come from within India.”

The core of Dr. Deshpande’s message centered on the fundamental difference between the for-profit and non-profit sectors and how Akshaya Patra successfully bridges this gap.

He explained that for-profit companies must prioritize efficiency to survive: “Execution excellence is given in the for-profit because if you serve bad masala dosa for two days, you’re out of business.” Conversely, nonprofits, while founded on empathy, often lack this rigor.

Dr. Deshpande highlighted this critical distinction by noting the challenge of the sector: “Bringing execution excellence to these nonprofit organizations is a particularly challenging task.”

He praised the organization’s approach, noting that the brilliance lies not in complex technology but in discipline: “But it’s just doing the simple things with the rigor of running a business, which is the magic here.” Visiting the kitchens, he said, is a revelation: “As a result of that, when you go and see these kitchens, it’ll just blow your mind away because that’s not what you expect from a nonprofit.” He reinforced the amazing scale of the operation by stating, “Serving 2.2 million meals and 1 million breakfasts every day without ever missing a meal for a child is just an amazing accomplishment. We can all be very proud that it has served more than 5 billion meals.” 

Furthermore, he mentioned the strict quality control required for safety: “And the food has to be delivered at about 65 degrees centigrade because that’s the temperature at which the food is safe.”

Dr. Deshpande underscored the organization’s potential as a template for tackling hunger worldwide, emphasizing its role as an international success story.

He underlined this importance: “Akshay Pathra is really becoming a role model for a lot of countries because it has clearly shown what’s possible…” 

Akshay Pathra has taught a leader of a Kenyan non-profit organization, and they’re building kitchens, and they’re serving almost half a million meals a day to children. Similarly, Akshay Pathra is teaching a nonprofit organization in Sri Lanka and in Indonesia. So Akshay Pathra is really becoming a role model for a lot of countries because it has clearly shown what’s possible…

Dr. Deshpande credited the organization’s success to its foundational balance: “It really combines the combination of this execution excellence with the compassion.” 

Sharing an anecdote about President Bill Clinton, he noted how impressed a former world leader was by the operation: “President Clinton wanted to go and see it. I took him to a Jaipur kitchen. He was blown away.” Ultimately, he concluded, this magnificent work requires both a powerful model and great leadership: “That’s the beauty of India. India now is here to actually do something that’s so magnificent.”

 

Dr. Desh Deshpande, Akshaya Patra Board Chair, addressing Akshaya Patra supporters at the 4th Annual Akshaya Patra Gala in South Florida

Dr. Desh Deshpande, Akshaya Patra Board Chair; co-chairs of the Akshaya Patra South Florida chapter, Mrs. Printi Maheshvari and Dr. Narendra Maheshvari; and Navin Goel, CEO of Akshaya Patra USA.

Clinton is taken on a tour of the school by Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation and Gururaj Deshpande, Board Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, USA. Photo credit: Clinton Foundation/ Barbara Kinney