We often imagine hunger in faraway lands — war zones, famine-affected regions, or remote villages. But hunger doesn’t always look like the images we’ve seen on television. In cities like ours, hunger hides behind silence. It hides in tired eyes outside a hospital gate, in the rumbling stomach of a rickshaw driver at night, or in the slow steps of an elderly woman begging for change at the temple. Urban hunger is invisible — and yet, it exists all around us.
What makes urban hunger more heartbreaking is how unnoticed it is. Many people who go hungry aren’t begging or asking for help — they’re trying to survive with dignity. A father skips his meal so his child can eat. A patient’s attendant at a hospital waits an entire day without food, saving every rupee for medicine. A differently-abled youth relies on passersby, not for sympathy — but for something as simple as a meal. Hunger in the city is quiet, but cruel.
At Bhole Ki Nagri Foundation, we knew this issue needed more than token solutions. That’s why we launched Bhojan Setu — a sacred campaign that serves hot, hygienic, and home-style meals to people who live outside the scope of formal systems. We don’t expect people to come stand in lines or ask for food. Instead, we go where hunger lives — hospital gates, roadside shelters, slums, and neglected localities.
We’ve seen the impact up close. A child clapping after receiving a hot roti. A woman whispering “Shukriya” as she shares her food with her ailing mother. An old man folding his hands with tears when we hand him a simple khichdi bowl. These aren’t grand moments — but they are sacred. Because for them, this food is not just nourishment — it’s proof that someone cares.
Our meals are not leftovers or surplus stock.
They are freshly cooked in local kitchens, packed with love, and distributed with respect. The idea is not just to satisfy hunger, but to serve people like family — with dignity. Volunteers speak kindly, hand over meals personally, and make sure no one is treated like a burden or a case. After all, seva isn’t just about what you give — it’s how you give it.
What makes Bhojan Setu unique is that it isn’t charity — it’s connection. We don’t just drop off food and walk away. We stay, talk, listen, and sometimes, simply sit beside them. The food is the beginning. The real gift is the moment of recognition that says — you matter. Our volunteers often say they receive more blessings in one day than most people hear in a lifetime.