Bio:

Narayanan Krishnan was born in 1981 to a middle class family in Madurai, India. At the age of nineteen, with his degree in hand, he was selected to be a chef in a five star hotel in Switzerland. A single moment changed his life; seeing a man eat his own waste out of hunger. This made him realize how much we take for granted and how much we waste (even if it is un-intentional), he says, “Throwing parties at banquet halls to honour people. So much food is wasted. Hundreds of people will come, but only a handful will eat the food.” Narayanan quit his job as a chef to become a full-time social worker of sorts. He said, “Believe me; I had never seen a person eating so fast, ever. As he ate the food, his eyes were filled with tears. Those were the tears of happiness.” In 2003, Krishnan founded the Akshaya Trust that has been serving meals to the elderly and the mentally disabled. These meals are prepared fresh everyday and are highly nutritious. In 2010, CNN bestowed the honour of being CNN’s top 10 heroes on Narayanan Krishnan for his hard work and endless dedication towards the helpless.