The Adani Group on Thursday said it will undertake a comprehensive initiative to feed pilgrims and frontline officials during the Rath Yatra, scheduled from June 26 to July 8 in Odisha’s Puri.
This comes months after the business conglomerate offered food to scores of pilgrims at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh. The move is in line with Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani’s vision of ‘Seva Hi Sadhana Hai’ (Service is Worship), as per a release.
“This year’s support includes nearly 4 million meals and drinks distributed free of cost; designated food counters providing free, nutritious meals to pilgrims and officials; beverage counters across the city offering cool drinks to beat the Odisha heat; support for lifeguards from the Puri Beach Lifeguard Mahasangha; volunteers for beach clean-up, especially plastic waste; free T-shirts for official volunteers; fluorescent safety vests for municipal workers; and also a variety of jackets, raincoats, caps and umbrellas for officials and devotees,” it added.
The seva effort is a collaboration between the Adani Group, the Puri district administration, International Society for Krishna Consciousness and local volunteer organisations. The group, which has been working in Odisha through the Adani Foundation across sectors such as rural healthcare, school infrastructure and livelihoods, said that it sees this seva as part of a larger spiritual continuity in India’s public life.
Adani Group said that these efforts are not outsourced. Much of the planning is done with on-ground partners months in advance, the release said.
The volunteers are from within the Adani Group or local communities, and the execution is often led by Adani coordinators who have long-standing relationships in the region, it said.
Earlier this year, during the 45-day Maha Kumbh Mela, the Adani Group had supported food distribution and pilgrim welfare services on a large scale in collaboration with ISKCON and Gita Press. On Jan. 21, Gautam Adani personally took part in seva at the Kumbh.
“Whether in Prayagraj or Puri, this emerging model of faith-linked service — blending corporate capacity with grassroots humility — offers a compelling view of how modern Indian businesses can walk hand-in-hand with the country’s spiritual traditions,” the release said.
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