Sidharth Malhotra's fan club teams up with non-profit Khaana Chahiye to feed the poor on his birthday

Fan clubs of popular artistes are known for making grand and sometimes wasteful gestures while celebrating their idols' birthdays. Sidharth Malhotra’s fan club, however, sought to make a difference while celebrating his 37th birthday on 16 January by delivering meals to poor children in Mumbai in collaboration with the non-profit organization Khaana Chahiye.

Advocate Rakesh K Singh co-founded Khaana Chahiye in 2020 after the first COVID-19 pandemic-induced countrywide lockdown was imposed. The organization was set up to help the needy and homeless and provide them with ration kits. The organization has handed out over six and a half million meals and 70,000 grocery kits so far.

Rakesh Singh told Cinestaan, “Sidharth Malhotra’s fan club had a thoughtful birthday celebration and shared special meals with underprivileged kids from Mumbai. The fan club contacted us on Instagram and we set up the whole thing while working remotely with them. The Khaana Chahiye staff at our Kurla community kitchen prepared the feast and made sure the little ones had a wholesome Sunday lunch.”

Touched by the gesture, Malhotra shared a video of the drive on an Instagram Story and captioned it, “Amazing guys. Thank you. Big love and respect.”

Rakesh Singh added, “We have been supporting the kitchen since lockdown to feed about 750 people every day. The kitchen feeds underprivileged kids every day. On 16 January they prepared special lunches for the kids sponsored by the fan club. Sidharth Malhotra shared the campaign on his Instagram link thanking the fans for this gesture.”

Rakesh Singh believes the issue of hunger should not be seen as an outcome of the pandemic alone. “The problem was there even before the pandemic and the lockdown," he said. "It’s just that it’s more visible during the pandemic. We want to enable citizens to share their special occasions with the needy as we figure out long-term solutions to fight hunger in the city.”

Khaana Chahiye has been attempting to identify pockets in Mumbai that need immediate relief. If you need aid or know someone who requires support in the form of cooked meals or groceries, click here.