Every year, we take Dishoom team members who have been with us for five years on a special trip to Bombay called Bombay Bootcamp. During the trip, they visit local schools and serve midday meals to children through our charity partner, Akshaya Patra. Here, Chatter-walli, Alice, shares her thoughts from the day.
“CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!” A metal rod banged upon steel lids breaks the seals on the large drums of rice and spiced chickpeas. Tall windows flood the school hall with natural light, a hand-painted world map, decorated with animals, fills a wall at one end. The hum of excited voices from the patient queue of children swells as the lids are lifted on the food and a delicious aroma fills the air. We are in TMC school in Thane, just outside of Bombay, with The Akshaya Patra Foundation, delivering lunch.
Chef Arun piles fluffy rice into stainless steel trays and plastic tubs, filling whatever container each pair of small hands holds up. I top each mound of rice with a scoop of steaming chana masala. The children thank us, take their trays and sit cross-legged on the blue and red linoleum floor in neat orderly lines, waiting to say their prayers together before they eat. We join them and the lunch is as tasty as it is nutritious. Several children come back for seconds and thirds, after all, ‘Akshaya Patra’ translates to ‘unlimited vessel of food’.
For many of the students, this is their first and only meal of the day. And for many girls in India, access to the same education as boys is restricted; girls living in developing countries are often the first to be withdrawn from education when their family is experiencing financial difficulties. By providing a free midday meal, Akshaya Patra provides an incentive to ensure these children receive the education they deserve. So it meant a lot to us to see so many female students on our visit.
We all know a hungry child cannot concentrate. Before lunch, the students gave us a warm welcome and showed us their work and pictures, but they were reticent, shy even. The midday meal transformed them into balls of energy, eager to share the stories of their day with us. The school was celebrating Vinayaka Chaturthi, and after lunch, we were invited to watch them perform songs and dances. They whirled across the floor, huge smiles on their faces. It was a delight to behold.
From one meal donated to 25 million
This year marks a magnificent ten years of our partnership with the charities Akshaya Patra (India) and Magic Breakfast (UK). Both charities provide nourishing free school meals to children, helping to end food poverty as a barrier to education by ensuring bellies are full and minds are ready to learn. For every meal we sell, we donate a meal to our charity partners, and we’re overjoyed to say we’ve now donated 25 MILLION MEALS (and counting!).
It all started with one meal. A simple yet powerful idea – that no child should be too hungry to learn. Back in 2015, we took our first steps towards something bigger than we could have imagined. What began in response to a nasty piece of bigoted hate mail that we received at the end of 2014, evolved into a heartfelt Ramadan initiative, our zakat (charity) for the year and quickly grew into something permanent, embedded in the very fabric of Dishoom.
For every meal served in our cafés, we would donate a meal to a hungry child. Magic Breakfast in the UK and Akshaya Patra in India became our partners in this mission, ensuring that children had the nourishment they needed to focus, grow, and thrive. At Diwali that same year, we made it official. This wasn’t just a campaign; it was part of who we are.
Fast forward ten years, and we’re standing at a staggering 25 million meals donated, a milestone we never dreamed of in those early days, and one that fills us with immense pride.
Our heartfelt gratitude to all of those who have supported us in this magical endeavour. Dear guests, whether you’ve joined us in café, ordered a delivery or a meal kit, you've fed a child who would otherwise go hungry. Thank you.
