Indian man Narayanan Krishnan among the top 10 CNN Heroes

Monday, October 18, 2010

CNN has nominated Indian Narayanan Krishnan in the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2010.

A panel comprised of luminaries recognized for their own dedication to public service selected this year's top 10 CNN Heroes, according to CNN.com. The names were chosen from more than 10,000 nominations submitted by viewers in 100 countries.

Narayanan Krishnan brings hot meals and dignity to India's homeless and destitute - 365 days a year - through his nonprofit Akshaya Trust. Since 2002, he has served more than 1.2 million meals.

Narayanan Krishnan, a gifted young chef from Madurai, India, was working for an exclusive hotel group preparing haute cuisine for the ultra-rich. But when he went home to visit his family, something he saw shocked him to his core.

“I saw a very old man eating his own human waste for food,” he told CNN.

Krishnan knew he couldn’t go back to the gourmet restaurants he’d been working in when his own countrymen were starving to death. So he decided to stay in India and begin fixing meals for that man, and for the countless others who could not care for themselves.

The following year, he founded the nonprofit group Akshaya Trust. The organization is named for the “Akshaya bowl” from Hindu mythology, a bottomless bowl that can feed the hungry forever—just as Krishnan hopes his group will do. Each morning, Krishnan and his team rise at 4 AM, and seek out the homeless throughout a 123-mile radius, armed with packets of hot vegetarian meals that Krishnan has prepared by hand. He brings the meals to a crowd of about 400 regulars, and gives them free haircuts and beard trims when they need it. In the years since starting the nonprofit, he’s served over 1.2 million meals. His recipients are nearly all mentally ill, and do not have the capacity to thank him.

All Top 10 CNN Heroes will each receive US$25,000 and will be honored at CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper that will air on Friday November 26th at 5.30am Indian Standard time from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and replay at 2.30pm Indian Standard time. At the November gala, CNN will reveal the CNN Hero of the Year, who will receive an additional $100,000. Viewers can go to www.CNNHeroes.com to participate in the poll. Online voting will conclude at 3.30pm Indian Standard time on Thursday, November 18th.

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