Bhopal College Wins State Honour for Its Meal Service to the Needy

Bhopal, 28 October 2025: The Bhopal School of Social Sciences (BSSS) celebrated a moment of joy as its noble meal initiative, BSSS Dev-Aahaaram, was recognised with a prestigious honour at the Madhya Pradesh Excellence Awards 2025 under the category of “Noble Cause Initiative.” The honour stands as a glowing tribute to the vision, motivation, and selfless leadership of Principal Fr. John P. J., under whose guidance Dev-Aahaaram has been serving humanity with dedication and compassion since 15 September 2018.

Under Dev-Aahaaram, morning breakfast including poha, biscuit packets, and hot tea is distributed to the family members of patients at AIIMS, Bhopal. At a clean and hygienic kitchen, the food is prepared fresh and, with the help of student volunteers, it is packed with care. A prayer for wellbeing is offered before leaving for AIIMS in the Dev-Aahaaram food truck. The food packets and tea are distributed outside Gate No. 3 of AIIMS, Bhopal. People stand in queue waiting for the food, and for older people and the differently-abled, volunteers personally serve the food packets without making them stand in line. In this way, the initiative seeks to inculcate a feeling of care and compassion among student volunteers. To maintain cleanliness, two dustbins are carried, and the volunteers consistently remind people to dispose of their trash, empty food packets, and disposable tea cups properly.

Representing the college, the award was graciously received from the Honourable Chief Minister, Dr. Mohan Yadav, at a grand ceremony held at Minto Hall, Bhopal. On behalf of Team Dev-Aahaaram, heartfelt gratitude was extended to Ms. Prabha Biju, Dr. Jean George, Mr. Atul Vishwakarma, Mr. Rajesh Bagwan, Mr. Sanjay Bagwan, and all BSSS staff members, generous contributors, and enthusiastic student volunteers. Their consistent support and tireless dedication have been the driving force behind this achievement.

As Dev-Aahaaram celebrates this milestone, it reaffirms its commitment to continue spreading kindness and compassion — making a difference, one meal and one heart at a time.

Fr. Alfred D’Souza

PRO, Archdiocese of Bhopal