You do not have to be a hardcore left-inclined intellectual or a social activist to have your concerns in place about poverty, hunger and unequal distribution and wastage of resources in the world. Because Robin Hood Army (RHA), comprising a group of volunteers, has been doing something very basic yet very significant. The organisation drives around restaurants at night across Delhi, collecting unused surplus food from restaurants and weddings, and donates it to the needy. It all started in August last year when a group of six youngsters decided to address two important issues, hunger and food wastage. They drove to restaurants, collected unsold food, re-packaged it and gave it to around 100 people in need of it around the city. A volunteer giving food to people on pavement | Source : Facebook

Food wastage is a much bigger problem in our country which is obsessed with 'big fat weddings'.

According to the Centre for Development Communication (CDC), a Jaipur based NGO, there are an estimated 7m weddings in India during the season. Yet, nearly one-fifth of all prepared food is thrown away – a staggering £1.6bn in wastage.

Annakshetra, an initiative to redistributes food leftover solely from weddings, festivals and other lavish social gatherings was developed by CDC in 2010. RHA has been thus working on similar lines.

During the Indian wedding season, which takes place between November and January, RHA groups also worked with caterers to make sure large amounts of uneaten food would be picked up, no matter how late at night. In Hyderabad, four volunteers fed around 970 people just with excess food from one wedding.

A photo collage showing RHA activities | Source : Facebook


India is a 'shining' example of unequal distribution of resources. The gross difference between the haves and the have-nots can be deciphered from the fact that there is a wastage of £4bn worth of fruit and vegetables per year.

For a nation which has one fourth of the world's undernourished population, that's a very big problem. But the efforts by organisations like RHA are nevertheless commendable and deserve full support.

Poverty, hunger and malnutrition are major national issues but organisations like RHA definitely prove us that even simple solutions can do wonders.