Winding through the crooked alleys of Kolkata, West Bengal, a chapati vending machine makes an all-out effort to bring smiles to the faces of economically struggling families. Intending to satiate the hunger of the impoverished with hot piping chapatis smeared with ghee and topped with a dollop of pickle, Apni Roti incorporated a roti-producing contraption in a vehicle. At present, Apni Roti is producing more than 1000 rotis per hour with the custom-made apparatus and ensuring that no one sleeps on an empty stomach. The Kolkata-based NGO's initiative to serve meals on wheels is inspiring people to contribute to eradicating hunger from its root.  

A brainchild of Mr. Vikash Agarwal, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, the idea of Apni Roti was conceived a long time before. It was finally in 2019 that the idea of serving meals on wheels witnessed the dawn of its implementation. Vikash shares that the motivation behind envisioning Apni Roti came from the thought of roti uniting people irrespective of their cast, creed, and religions. An initiative of Shivohum Balaji Trust, this Non-Governmental Organization, is shaping Vikash's objective of giving back to society into reality. Instead of distributing leftover food to the underprivileged strata of the community, Apni Roti aspires to share freshly-prepared, nutritious, and balanced meals with the needy.  

Through their campaigns, Apni Roti aims to assist people from all walks of life. For instance, the organization serves fresh and nutritious meals to impoverished expecting mothers to strengthen their nutritional health and ensure the delivery of a healthy fetus. Moreover, society members who are economically struggling and cannot afford meals benefit substantially and commend this nonprofit entity.  

Mr. Vikash and his mother, Ms. Krishna Devi Agarwal, wish to give kids an opportunity to nourish their dreams through Apni Roti. They believe that hunger is an evil that makes dreams and goals unsubstantial. To prevent children from foregoing their educational aspirations to earn a meal, the humanitarians aim to provide adequate meals and nutrition. In addition to providing meals in West Bengal, Apni Roti's meal truck has also fed the stomachs of people of Bihar and Jharkhand. To ramp up the impact of their initiative, Apni Roti is assisted by volunteers to handle day-to-day operations and management of food distribution.  

Aside from helping the underprivileged, Apni Roti also contributes their part to holy causes under Shivohum Balaji Seva Trust. They are renowned for providing services for yatris or pilgrims at Baidyanath Dham, Jharkhand. Setting an example in society as a good samaritan, Apni Roti provided free-of-cost meals, health checkups, and accommodation to travelers who visited the aforementioned holy places. Recently, they served nutritious and fresh meals to pilgrims over 5 days at Gangagar Pariseva Mela.   

The Apni Roti food van serves more than 5 lakh rotis a year. The finances to govern the campaign activities, such as the operating costs of the van and purchase of raw materials, are managed with the help of generous donors. Apni Roti aims to spread this revolution to every nook and corner of India to eradicate hunger from its root and realize his vision of a hunger-free India.