Ravi Shankar Upadhyay (Roti Bank) Wiki, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

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Ravi Shankar Upadhyay is an Indian educator and social worker. He runs an organization called ‘Roti Bank, Chapra,’ which provides free food to the poor in Bihar. He is also the national coordinator of All India Roti Bank Trust.

Contents

Wiki/Biography

Ravi Shankar Upadhyay ^[1]India Post was born on 28 November in Chhapra, Bihar. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. In 2001, he completed his schooling at Vishweshwar Seminary High School in Sadhapur, Chapra, Bihar. In 2007, he completed his higher studies at Graduation at Jai Prakash University, Chhapra, Bihar.

Physical Appearance

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

Parents & Siblings

His father, Tuneshwar Upadhyay, is a police officer.

A picture of Ravi Shankar’s father

Ravi Shankar has a brother.

Ravi Shankar with his father and brother

Wife

Ravi Shankar is married.

Ravi Shankar with his wife

Career

After completing his formal education, Ravi Shankar Upadhyay began working as a teacher in a local school in Chhapra, Bihar in 2014.

Social Work

In October 2018, Ravi Shankar Upadhyay started the ‘Roti Bank, Chapra’ initiative. The idea of Roti Bank was inspired by the charitable initiatives of Kishore Kant Tiwari and Roshan Patel, founders of the All India Roti Bank Trust in Varanasi. In 2022, in a media interview, he expressed feeling sad and distressed upon watching poor people sleeping hungry on the streets. He said,

Since there are many needy people in our city too, who are forced to sleep hungry every night. Often people sleep at intersections, railway stations, bus stands and roadsides without eating anything. Seeing these helpless people made me feel disturbed and sad, but then I was not able to do anything for them.”

Volunteers of Roti Bank posing with the packed food packets

Initially, Ravi Shankar’s team consisted of 4-5 members, including his close friends Satyendra Kumar, Abhay Pandey, Ram Janam Manjhi, and Bipin Bihari. They started this social work on 10 October 2018, on Dussehra. On the first day, they distributed food to seven hungry poor people.

Team of Roti Bank, Chhapra

The team, headed by Abhay Pandey, Roti Bank’s General Secretary in Chhapra and a railway traffic inspector, goes into the city at 9 p.m. daily to offer food to those in need.

Volunteers of Roti Bank while distributing food

Ravi Shankar Upadhyay once stated in a media conversation that initially, the food was prepared and distributed from their homes. However, with the influence of the slogan ‘Khushi ke Rang, Roti Bank ke Sang,’ residents of the city began coming forward to provide meals to the poor on various occasions such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries, pujas, or other auspicious events. Later, he, along with his team, established a separate kitchen for the Roti Bank organization and named it ‘Maa Annapurna Community Kitchen.’ They then employed two individuals on minimal wages to cook the food.

Roti Bank volunteers while distributing food among the needy people

Roti Bank volunteers while distributing food among needy people

According to Ravi Shankar, each food packet includes 4 kg of chuda, 2 kg of faruhi, a large pack of biscuits, namkeen, milk powder, and soap for children. In 2020, during the challenges of COVID-19, the organization provided food to those in need and coordinated meals for migrant labourers.

Ravi Shankar while distributing food to the migrant workers at Chhapra Railway station duing the COVID-19

Ravi Shankar while distributing food to the migrant workers at Chhapra Railway station during the COVID-19

Every year, during the Bihar floods in the rainy season, Ravi Shankar Upadhyay, along with his team, surveys the areas where people need food. Thereafter, members of Roti Bank (Chhapra) distribute food packets to these helpless individuals in the identified areas.