Rice Bucket Challenge was started in Hyderabad, India, by Manju Latha Kalanidhi, a Hyderabad-based journalist. The social initiative called the Rice Bucket Challenge, a desi spin on the Ice Bucket Challenge, made big news in August 2014. The simple intention to feed the hungry with rice and ensure no one goes hungry is what made her start this.
The Journey: A post on social media on August 22, 2014, went viral three days after she started it in Hyderabad. Perhaps it was the audacity of a middle-class Indian woman who dreamt of doing this purely through donations raised through social media that appealed to many. A news filler in The Hindu daily around the same time told the world about her idea. When 2,000 students of Apoorva Degree College in Karimnagar embraced her challenge and raised 2,200 kgs of rice and groceries in two days inspired by Manju's campaign, everyone knew this was an initiative that had what it takes. The hashtag #RiceBucketChallenge trended 10,000 times on Twitter alone, according to the Wikipedia page about the campaign, soon after superstar Indian director SS Rajamouli shared about Rice Bucket Challenge on his Twitter handle.
From The Huffington Post to The Independent to NPR, BBC, CNN and Oprah magazine and closer home, national media covered it. In less than a week, her Facebook profile and the Rice Bucket Challenge page garnered 50,000 followers (without promotions or advertisements). Her campaign was also named among the top five social media campaigns in 2014 December. A recipient of JFW Women Achiever Award 2014, Loreal Social Influencer 2015, Karamveer Chakra Gold Award 2015, APJ Abdul Kalam Award 2016, NDTV LottoLand Aaj Ka Sithara, Commonwealth Points of Award 2020 (by the UK government), she is a social influencer with over 1 lakh followers across social media. Manju represented India as part of the US State-sponsored program called the International Leadership Visitor Program in 2019 where she visited four states in the US to learn more about how to shape her initiative better.
Mission: To ensure no one goes hungry! To be able to provide groceries or cooked food to the needy withing three hours after they reach out to Rice Bucket Challenge
Data and figures: So far, RBC has managed to generate over 3,00,000 kg of rice from across the world to feed the hungry. From disaster victims to orphanages to workers who have lost their jobs, all have been recipients of rice and groceries from RBC. The initiative is alive and kicking even today, thus proving it is sustainable. During the Covid-19 lockdown alone (between April 2020-Sept 2020), her initiative managed to garner over 26,100 kg of essential supplies and donate it to over 77 distribution points including community kitchens that were serving the needy. She then tied up with a local payment and delivery partner called Donatekart to be able to raise donations and send groceries to the doorstep of the needy even during the lockdown. From weavers to cab drivers to sanitary workers to the transgender community, the Rice Bucket Challenge has fed every marginalised community and today is also listed in the state hunger helpline. She currently has over 1 lakh followers across social media including her page on Rice Bucket Challenge.
Milestones: The Rice Bucket Challenge is a case study in National Geographic Learning Center in Illinois,the US.
The idea for the Rice Bucket Challenge is attributed to Manju Latha Kalanidhi wife of Vijeye Devuni, a 38-year-old journalist based in Hyderabad, India.
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