HYDERABAD: Many of you must have heard about the DaBangg Tour that took place recently in the city which starred none other than Salman bhai. However, a few know that a large number of food packets would have been wasted at the event, if not for a teenager who took the responsibility to distribute among the needy at Secunderabad Railway Station.
Vikhil Prabha, who is pursuing psychology from Nizam’s College, runs several social initiatives around the city through his group ‘Friends Being a Helping Hand’. The group feeds around 50 persons in the city every day.
Living by the adage, ‘We Rise by Lifting Others’, the group distributes meals among the needy, books among slum children, sanitary napkins among underprivileged girls, blankets among the homeless, and conducts social awareness programmes. Vikhil has been recently chosen to participate in the Model United Nation Academy conference at Jakarta in Indonesia. He is also a Karmaveer Chakra Award recipient.
Speaking about the work he does, Vikhil says, "Our aim is to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 and 4, which aims at zero hunger and quality education respectively. We collect food from hotels in the city and distribute it at places including MGBS, railway stations, government hospitals and others. We have 40 volunteers in Hyderabad, Pune and Warangal."
Vikhil, whose real name is P Prasanna Vikhil, reveals with a sheepish smile that he has added ‘Prabha’ to his name because he is a die-hard fan of actor Prabhas. This social influencer grew up in an orphanage in Warangal after he lost his father at the age of two. After completing his 10th class in 2015, he founded this group.
"I believe that every youngster in the city should serve the society. My friends, Nadeem and Anish, helped me set up the group," says Vikhil who wishes to study clinical psychology for his masters while serving the society. You can join as a volunteer via Facebook.