Sukanya, a Science teacher introduces Sirisha as a true beneficiary of the mid-day meal scheme since her only decent meal in a day is at school. The 12-year-old studying in VII Standard in Zilla Parishad High School, Patancheru suburb, Sirisha struggles to listen as we speak in a normal tone since she is slightly hearing impaired.

She belongs to a tribe called Vaddera community. She has two brothers, Venu and Anji, who are also beneficiaries of Akshaya Patra mid-day meal. Sirisha’s mother, Nagamani works as a labourer under Government labour groups and earns less than Rs 100 a day. Her father, Barmaiah, is also a labourer but does not support the family since he spends all his earnings on alcohol.

At a very young age Sirisha has experienced several hardships including poverty and violence. The young girl says she wants to become a police inspector and safeguard the public. She looks at her pale hands and says, "I feel weak sometimes, but I try to manage."

She walks 2 to 3 km to school from Golla Basti to Patancheru and back home every day. Since she has a lot of responsibilities at home, she cannot give much time to studies. She takes care of her maternal uncle, Nagaraj, who is a leprosy patient. He needs utmost attention given by Sirisha once she returns from school every day. Sirisha and her brothers depend greatly on the mid-day meal.

Nagaraj regrets over his inability to help his sister's family. "My sister is very kind to care for me when everyone else in my house has abandoned me. She finds it difficult to manage the house with her small earnings. Without the mid-day meal, we cannot manage food for our children," he explains.

Sirisha says, "We don't cook anything in the morning and hence I look forward to the mid-day meal. When it rains, my brothers try to cover the cooking area with plastic sheets, yet the flame is lost and we are left with half-cooked food. We sleep on an empty stomach."

Her uncle, Nagaraj says, "Sirisha is a very responsible girl and we hope for more support from organisations like Akshaya Patra. I hope she gets some help to treat her hearing disability too. Our children depend mainly on the mid-day meal and as you see, I sleep hungry mostly in a day."

The Akshaya Patra Foundation plans to help Sirisha with a Hearing Aid instrument as part of the 'Akshaya Life Skills Medical Camp Programme'.