Support Azad in Providing Medical Care and Protection for People Abandoned on the Streets

He could not tell us his name.

When we found him, his mind was deeply disturbed, his body carrying the weight of years of neglect. On each foot, he wore multiple slippers stacked one over another, as if trying to protect himself from a pain no one else had noticed.

The real struggle began when we tried to remove his socks. Twenty-six on one foot. Twenty-two on the other. Many had fused into his skin. It took more than half an hour of careful cutting, layer by layer, to free his feet. The infection was severe. The damage was frightening. Yet the Smile Team stayed, washing his wounds with warm water and antiseptic, speaking softly, choosing patience over haste.

This is what happens when a human being is left without care. And this is also what happens when someone finally shows up. Bringing a person back from a life reduced to survival into one of dignity and care is a joy no award can ever match.

I am Shri Krishna Pandey ‘Azad’. I never set out to build an organisation. I never planned a campaign or a foundation. What I carried with me was a simple discomfort: the inability to ignore hunger and abandonment. In 2010, on the streets of Gorakhpur, I saw people sleeping hungry, sick, and forgotten. I had no resources, no support system, and no idea where this path would lead. I only knew one truth: if I could eat a full meal, no one around me should be forced to sleep hungry.

I started by sharing my own food – a few rotis, a warm meal, a moment of human connection. Friends slowly joined in. There were no posters, no fundraising, and no recognition. Just people choosing to care. Over time, this effort grew into what is now known as the Smile Roti Bank Foundation, working across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Nepal. But even today, the purpose remains unchanged: to reach those whom society looks past and leaves behind.

Every day, we meet people living at the margins: mentally ill individuals wandering railway stations, abandoned elderly parents, and people lying sick on footpaths with no one to help them. Feeding them is only the first step. What hurts more than hunger is being treated as invisible. Through Smile Home, we provide shelter, medical treatment, emotional care, psychological counselling, and skill support. Many have reunited with their families. Many have learnt to stand on their own again. Restoring dignity is at the heart of everything we do.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, suffering multiplied beyond imagination. Families collapsed overnight. Hunger, illness, and fear were everywhere. In those moments, my team and I did what humanity demanded: we delivered food, arranged medicines and oxygen, and ensured dignified last rites for those who had no one left. It was not easy, but turning away was never an option. Service means standing with people when the world turns its back on them.

Today, thousands of young people walk this journey with us, driven not by charity but by compassion. Still, the need continues to grow. Hunger does not wait. Illness does not pause. Abandonment does not end on its own. This work survives because people choose to stand together. Your support helps us feed, shelter, heal, and protect lives that would otherwise be forgotten.

I do not believe service is an obligation or a profession. Service is love in action. When you support this cause, you are not helping an organisation; you are helping a human being survive another day with dignity and hope. And for me, there is no greater purpose than that.