This 16-Year-Old Delhi Girl’s Initiative is Feeding Over 350 People Each Week!
On asked why she named her initiative Double Roti, she answers, “Double Roti in Hindi, means bread, and in a sense, we were looking to address two issues--feed the hungry and ensure that surplus food does not go to waste.”
Vidya Raja
It is amazing to read about young Indians who are working at the grassroots to bring about a change. Meet 16-year-old Taira Bhargava, a student of class 10 at Shri Ram School, Moulsari in Gurugram, who is working hard to eradicate hunger in her own way.
Many of us aspire to bring about a change, but often not knowing where to begin holds us back. For Taira, her moment of realisation came about recently.
Taira Bhargava
In this exclusive interview with The Better India, Taira speaks about her campaign, her support system, and her way forward.
The moment of realisation
Having attended a flamboyant wedding last year, Taira was left wondering about the food that would remain after all the festivities. To find out what would happen to it, she stayed back to see for herself. What she saw left her deeply disturbed.
Food that could well have been served to over 250 people, went straight into the bin. Seeing this fuelled her spark to make a difference.
The birth of Double Roti
About eight months ago, Taira came up with the idea of collaborating with a bakery in the city to supply bread at various locations three days a week.
On asked why she named her initiative Double Roti, she answers, “Double Roti in Hindi, means ‘bread’, and in a sense, we were looking to address two issues–feed the hungry and ensure that surplus food does not go to waste.”
Taira
With the able assistance of her 19-year-old brother, she set it up. “My brother is currently at the George Washington University, but whenever he is here, he always helps me out.”
The Modus Operandi
With the help of a logistics company, she ensures that bread from the bakery is picked up and sent across to two or three different homes and boarding schools in the city.
“As of now we are feeding about 300 to 400 hungry people each week, and with raising larger amounts of money, the hope is to reach an increased number of people and tie up with more food outlets in the city,” she says.
While her board examinations are just around the corner, her passion for the initiative is evident “This is something that I want to be able to change,” she says.
Taira with her brother.
With India being home to almost 194.6 million undernourished people, an initiative of this nature is sure to go a long way in bringing that number down.
If you wish to reach out to Taira, you can e-mail her at tairabhargava@gmail.com, visit the website, or contribute to her initiative via her Ketto page.
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