Why Food and Shelter Are Still a Dream for Many in India

India is known as a land of culture, faith, and development. Cities are growing, roads are expanding, and technology is booming. But beneath this image lies a harsh and heartbreaking truth — millions of people in India still sleep hungry and homeless. While some enjoy food waste at parties, others struggle to find a single meal in a week. For them, food and shelter are not guaranteed rights — they are dreams that may never come true. The Side of India We Do Not Want to See Every day, we pass by people sitting beside garbage bins, begging near traffic signals, or sleeping under bridges. We look away. We think someone else will help. But the reality is that over 17 lakh people in India are officially homeless, and many more are not even counted. Among them are mentally challenged individuals, elderly people thrown out by families, and children born into hunger. These people are not lazy or useless — they are ignored, unprotected, and often mentally or physically unwell. A Plate of Food Feels Like a Festival to the Forgotten Food is a right, not a reward. But in our society, the poorest are often made to feel guilty for being hungry. At Amma Nanna Foundation, we have served food to people who haven’t eaten in two days — they hold the plate like it’s gold. Tears roll down their cheeks, not because the food is special, but because someone cared enough to feed them. We see the same reaction every day, more than 600 times, when we serve meals to the mentally disabled, homeless, and abandoned. For them, it’s not just food. It’s love. It’s survival. It’s hope. Having a Roof Means Having Dignity and Peace Imagine sleeping on a pavement in the rain. Imagine waking up to dogs sniffing you, strangers kicking you, or someone stealing your only cloth. That is the everyday life of India’s homeless. They don’t have beds. They don’t have safety. They live under the sky with no protection. Some are mentally unwell, unable to even speak or ask for help. Amma Nanna Foundation gives them more than a roof — we give them a clean bed, medicine, clothes, and most importantly, respect. Mental Illness Is Not a Curse It Is a Call for Compassion The most ignored section of society is not the poor — it is the mentally ill poor. People who talk to themselves or scream on roads are often seen as dangerous. But behind every such person is a story — someone who was beaten, abandoned, or left without treatment. We rescue such individuals from roadsides, clean them, treat them, and help them heal. With care, even the most disturbed mind begins to calm. They are not dangerous. They are damaged by neglect, not by nature. Also Read: Left in Pain Found in Love The Story of a Rescued Life When Temples Become Kitchens for the Needy At our ashram, we built the Sri Punyalingeswara Swamy Temple, not just for devotion — but for action. Every donation to the temple supports our kitchen. Every offering becomes food. Every puja leads to a life being saved.