Today, everybody wants to rule the world. We all want to climb the ladder, collect money bags, and live in buildings that touch the skies. But there is one person who gave up the pursuit of it all to help those on the ground — Dr Chichili Goutham Kumar, founder of Serve Needy Organisation. For his initiatives to better the lives of the needy, elderly, and persons with disabilities, he earned a doctorate from the University of California and most recently received the Uttama Seva Saradi Award. One thing is clear — for Dr Goutham, service isn’t a duty but a mission to uplift lives and bring hope to the forgotten. He speaks to CE about his organisation, vision, and more.
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How has your upbringing influenced your passion for social service?
I was raised by a BSF officer father and a government teacher mother, both dedicated to serving the country in their own ways. Though social service wasn’t my focus growing up, I was taught kindness and helping others.
After entering the corporate world, I felt unfulfilled and quit to become an orphanage director, finding joy with the children. But seeing so many helpless individuals and persons with disabilities on the streets, I wondered — where were the NGOs claiming to help? Unable to find an answer, I chose to be the answer. That’s how I founded the Serve Needy Organisation.
What is Serve Needy Organisation?
Serve Needy Organisation is a registered, non-governmental and non-religious social service organisation focused on making a real impact and transforming the world.
Under our flagship initiative, Project Annadaatha, we serve nutritious meals to around 3,000 people at multiple locations in Hyderabad daily using produce from our organic farms. We also teach children about organic farming and donate the produce to the underprivileged.
Through Project Livelihood, we empower individuals to achieve financial independence by helping them open businesses like grocery shops or fruit carts. We also run an old age home called Serve Needy Old Age Home in Secunderabad, apart from supporting people with disabilities, those living with HIV, leprosy patients, and more. Be it providing wheelchairs or donating hearing aids, we always strive to help people in need. The joy on their faces trumps all.
We’ve reunited over 500 people nationwide with help from the police and by using Facebook and Instagram to spread the word. We also construct huts with public donations and run seasonal projects like distributing blankets, sweaters, raincoats, and umbrellas.
You also perform the last rites of orphans. What inspired you to do this?
To me, orphans aren’t just children without parents — they’re also the elderly abandoned by their families. Years ago, while visiting old age homes, I would reassure the elderly that they weren’t alone. But one day, an old woman passed away with a final wish — for her children to perform her last rites. They refused, so I did it myself. That moment inspired me to continue performing last rites for orphans, regardless of their religion. In fact, I perform their last rites in accordance with their religious rules.
What motivates you to extend your services beyond human welfare to animals?
We feed street dogs and also feed cows at goushalas. It’s simple — humans can express their emotions and tell you what they need, but animals cannot. This is heartbreaking, so we want to help the voiceless.
What challenges do you encounter?
Funding is our biggest challenge — we rely on goodwill, but it’s easier to convince people to fund a business than a good cause. In the beginning, no one gave us money, so we started an initiative called Fist of Rice, where we asked for just a fistful of rice to feed people. Over time, it grew from fistfuls to bags. After 15 years, our work speaks for itself. We’ve set world records, including distributing free six lakh healthy meals in 1,000 days under Project Annadaatha and performing Pinda Pradanam for 150 orphans at once in Maha Prasthanam Crematorium.
I see it this way — soldiers protect our borders, and we at Serve Needy Organisation are soldiers within, serving those in need. We may be just 20 people, but we take on 15 activities a day — not out of dedication, but pure madness.
Going forward, what is your vision?
We want to expand our services to the whole country. Ultimately, I wish that we can all live in a hunger-free and orphan-less world, where everyone leads a dignified life.