Most of you have not experienced hunger, I have: Narayana Murthy on going hungry for 120 hours

Infosys co-founder while addressing a special event, 'Achievements in Food Security: India's Strides Towards Sustainable Development Goals', said that he “experienced hunger" for 120 hours non-stop when he was hitchhiking in Europe 50 years ago. He said, “Most of you have not experienced hunger. I have."

“I experienced hunger for 120 hours non-stop when I was hitchhiking in Europe and at a place called Nish, a border town between Bulgaria and what was then Yugoslavia and today Serbia," Narayana Murthy said.

Narayana Murthy on hunger

The 'Achievements in Food Security: India's Strides Towards Sustainable Development Goals' was hosted by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN at the United Nations headquarters in New York which was attended by UN diplomats, officials, academia, civil society organisations and members of the Indian diaspora.

“Most Indians here and I have received good quality and highly subsidised education from the Indian government. Therefore, as civilised people, we must show gratitude to our nation and help the future generation of these helpless, poor children to get (a) good education," he added

Narayana Murthy on Akshaya Patra

Narayana Murthy at the event also spoke about the Akshaya Patra model. "Bring joy, health, confidence, hope and success to poor children in their own countries", he said.

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Akshaya Patra Foundation is a a non-profit trust located in Bengaluru about which Murthy said its success lies in bringing a smile to the faces of helpless people.

"Akshaya Patra is hugely successful by that count. If our poor children lose hope and faith in our society, they will turn to violence and destroy all the good that India has achieved and is hoping to achieve," he said.

At the event he also highlighted India's economic progress attributing it to the success of the government’s economic policies, vision and the hard work of Indian entrepreneurs and citizens as well as the foreign direct investment from multinationals.

He also spoke about Government's Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) which is the world's largest food security programme. PMGKAY benefits over 800 million people.

"Akshaya Patra is a proud addition and a proud partner of this fantastic initiative of the Government of India," the Infosys co-founder said. “Poverty is not unique to India. It is there in every society. Akshaya Patra makes the future of India safe by bringing inclusivity to the country's growth and making the poor people enthusiastic partners in our quest towards prosperity," the billionaire entrepreneur observed.