NICE Person of the Week: Narayanan Krishnan

Guess what. I am off from work for ten, glorious days! I feel like a kid on winter break. This is the first time I've taken more than a day or two off during the holidays, so I'm absolutely giddy! EEP! Any of you doing anything special? I'm visiting family, doing the usual. But I'm hoping I get to do some of those things I can never seem to find time for, like sitting on the couch with a good book and a glass of wine. Ahhhhh.

Today's NICE Person of the Week submission comes all the way from Mumbai, India! Alia sent in this nomination for Narayanan Krishnan, an absolute inspiration.

What makes Narayanan so NICE:

Narayanan Krishnan, a former chef in a five star restaurant in India who was interviewing for lucrative culinary positions in Europe. But that all changed when decided to make a quick trip home to his native Madurai, a small community in south India, before leaving to interview for a position in Switzerland. Krishnan was so disturbed by the image of poverty in his own community; he began to realize another dream in the making. Narayanan Krishnan was so troubled by the image of an elderly man in his community eating his own waste out of desperate hunger, that a week later he quit his job in a 5 star restaurant to feed the hungry in his own community.

Krishnan founded the nonprofit, Akshaya Trust in 2003 and today he feeds nearly 400 people daily. At only 29 years old, Krishnan has fed over 1.2 million meals to the hungry, according to CNN. Every day, he wakes up at 4 am, cooks a simple hot meal and then, along with his team, loads it in a van and travels about 200 km feeding the homeless in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Krishnan feeds, often with his hands, almost 400 destitute people every day. And for those who need it, he provides a free haircut too.

Doesn't that just blow your mind? Most of us are moved by the images we see in the world, but to completely change your life's mission because of it is just moving. Thank goodness this world has people like Narayanan. Thank you, Alia, for the submission!

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