Adani-ISKCON Mahaprasad Seva: An efficient distribution system with negligible food waste

Prayagraj, February 18 :  The Mahaprasad Seva initiative, under which nearly one lakh devotees are being served meals at the Maha Kumbh Mela every day, has been planned in a way that ensures minimum amount of food is wasted, an ISKCON spokesperson said. From 13 January, when the service started, the food grain wastage has not been more than 2%, he added.

The Adani Group and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) have joined hands to distribute Mahaprasad among devotees at Prayagraj. The food is being prepared in ISKCON kitchens and over 2,500 volunteers are managing the arrangements and distribution network. Meticulous planning and monitoringThe meal preparations start around 2am every day. ISKCON volunteer Nikhil, who works in the kitchen, said about 500 quintals of vegetables are bought in the morning itself. The prasad menu is finalised one day in advance so that all the ingredients are ready by the time the kitchen starts. As the Mahaprasad distribution begins for the day, a four-member team keeps track of the consumption. The members record the data every hour. Usually, 800-1,000 devotees consume the Mahaprasad at one place in one hour. A member of the team associated with Mahaprasad distribution said, usually, when devotees sit to take the Mahaprasad, each person consumes about 750 grams of food. While standing or walking, the recorded quantity is 350-400 grams per person.

The Mahaprasad Seva starts around 7am every day and the members continuously update the teams about the availability and consumption of meals. By evening, unused food is collected from all distribution points across the mela grounds and brought to the main kitchen. Between 6 and 7 pm, the collected food is redistributed among devotees after a quality check.

With lakhs of devotees gathered at the mela ground and traffic congestion being reported every hour, transportation of unused food from distribution points to the main kitchen is often delayed. In such situations, the unused food is distributed among stranded devotees and those on foot. Volunteers of Adani and ISKCON are managing this initiative to prevent food wastage.