Puri: After serving millions of pilgrims during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj earlier this year, the Adani Group has announced that it has now extended its seva efforts to the famous Rath Yatra festival in Odisha’s Puri.
One of India’s most revered religious festivals, the Rath Yatra began Friday, drawing lakhs of devotees from across the country and around the world.
महाप्रभु श्री जगन्नाथ जी की असीम कृपा से, हमें पुरी धाम की पावन रथयात्रा में सेवा का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ है।
आज से आरंभ हो रही यह दिव्य यात्रा वह क्षण है, जब स्वयं भगवान अपने भक्तों के बीच आकर उन्हें दर्शन देते हैं। यह केवल एक यात्रा नहीं, बल्कि भक्ति, सेवा और समर्पण का अनुपम… pic.twitter.com/2uVoLRnuDI
— Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) June 27, 2025
Staying true to Chairman Gautam Adani’s belief that ‘Seva Hi Sadhana Hai’ (Service is Worship), the Group has launched a large-scale volunteer-driven initiative to support pilgrims and frontline workers throughout the nine-day celebration, from June 26 to July 8. This year, the Adani Group will provide nearly 4 million free meals and drinks to devotees and officials, according to sources in the Group.
Special food counters have been set up across the city to distribute nutritious meals, while beverage stalls offer cool drinks to help people beat the intense Odisha heat. The Group is also supporting beach safety efforts through assistance to the Puri Beach Lifeguard Mahasangha, the source added.
Volunteers will help clean the beach and remove plastic waste. To aid those on duty, the group is distributing free T-shirts to volunteers, fluorescent safety vests for sanitation workers, and rain gear, including jackets, caps, umbrellas, and raincoats for municipal workers and pilgrims. The initiative is being carried out in partnership with the Puri district administration, ISKCON, and local community groups, it added.
According to the source, the planning for this seva began months in advance and is being carried out by volunteers from both within the Adani Group and the local communities. Execution is being led by experienced coordinators who have deep roots in the region. The Adani Foundation, which has been active in Odisha through projects in healthcare, school development, and rural livelihoods, sees this effort as part of a wider commitment to Indian cultural and spiritual life.
Group sources said that this form of corporate social responsibility goes beyond business and infrastructure — it is about engaging directly with people’s faith and traditions. Earlier this year, during the Maha Kumbh Mela, the Group had also partnered with ISKCON and Gita Press to offer food and assistance to lakhs of pilgrims. On January 21, Gautam Adani himself took part in serving food, reflecting the group’s core value that social service is not a one-time activity, but a continuous mission.
IANS
