New Delhi, May 9 (IANSlife): Through an online fundraiser gala, the Akshaya Patra Foundation USA - an Indian-origin organisation that has served 40 million meals to migrant workers since India's lockdown began.

The foundation which serves meals to 1.8 million Indian children every day during the school year - has raised a million dollars for feeding migrant families in India. The Boston Virtual Gala, held in early May, was attended by over 1,000 businesses, non-profits, government officials, and philanthropic leaders from around the world.

The gala showcased Paresh Rawal, celebrated Indian actor and supporter of Akshaya Patra, with a surprise visit from his wife Swaroop Sampat. Rawal presented a beautiful poem by prominent Indian Hindi and Urdu poet Nida Fazli that portrayed the simple joys of a child going to school each morning. The Bollywood-themed evening celebrated the beneficiaries, chapter teams, and volunteers who continue to work to alleviate classroom hunger.

Paresh Rawal

During the virtual event, Prof. Ashish Jha from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, a much sought-after global expert on COVID-19, spoke about the short- and long-term implications of COVID-19 and how the world can mitigate some of those devastating effects. He pointed to the underestimation of people infected and deaths globally, noting that the pandemic will continue until the world has a vaccine, estimated to be in about 12-18 months, or develops herd immunity.