CHENNAI: City-based nutritionist Divya Sathyaraj was recently chosen as the goodwill ambassador of The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), an NGO that is implementing the Government of India’s mid-day meal scheme for school children, in collaboration with other partners. According to the TAPF website, “The NGO serves lunch to over 1.7 million children in 14,173 schools spread across 12 states in the country”. It runs 36 kitchens across India of which one is located
in Chennai.
Talking to RK Srividya, Divya says her inspiration has always been her father, the popular actor
Sathyaraj.
You are one of the most sought-after nutritionists in south India.
My father, also a feminist, always tells me that it is important for women to be independent. I wanted to be a nutritionist, especially a therapist, who people trust. I have been practicing for five years and even today, I ensure that I meet only a handful of patients and spend time to explain to them the elaborate healing mechanism within the body when supplied with nutritional input.
Tell us about being the goodwill ambassador of The Akshaya Patra foundation.
I feel privileged to be part of TAPF. The NGO has been relentlessly working with two objectives — spreading awareness about nutrition and enhancing the nutritional value of our mid-day meal. At a tender age, a child’s body requires proper nutritional intake and Akshaya Patra has been constantly working to address the problem of classroom hunger. Even former US President Barack Obama had appreciated the extensive efforts of this organisation.
Could you elaborate on the functioning
of TAPF.
The foundation has been continuously using technology to fight hunger and attract students to school. It all started off with 1,500 students from five schools. But, today it is the world’s largest (not-for-profit) mid-day meal programme. Its state-of-art kitchens have now become a subject of study, and attract tourists from across the globe.
Do you plan to endorse health products?
I have been getting offers to endorse health products. But I was not very interested in those. Sometime back, a friend suggested to me that I should launch my own brand of green tea. As a therapist, I believe in the health quotient of green tea, and soon I will be launching a green tea brand —
D HOUSE GREEN TEA.
Your views on health supplements.
Medicines should be used responsibly to save life and empower health. When I see these supplements being circulated, I feel my responsibility as a therapist to do something about this. Recently, I wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating the need to protect people from medical negligence.
Crash diets are a rage.
No diet can equate with healthy eating. When I began practicing, people used to consult me just before Christmas or Valentine’s Day and request me to prescribe fat burners. The scenario has changed now. People are well aware of the food they consume. They do understand that healthy eating is a process which cannot be compensated by crash diets.