The Rice Bucket Challenge – Let’s Do The Desi Way

After the great hullabaloo of Ice Bucket Challenge which had gone viral recently to raise the awareness of ALS, we have a desi version of the same challenge with the main motto, “Help the poor and needy”.

It is India’s answer to the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ and it is a very innovative idea. We call it the rice bucket challenge. A country like India where more than half of the population lies below the poverty line, where India’s hunger level is at a dangerously high level according to the Global Hunger Index, this is a good way to feed the needy. How far it will be successful, we just have to wait and watch.

What Is Rice Bucket Challenge: How did it start?

On August 24, 2014, Manju Latha Kalanidihi, a journalist from Hyderabad, came up with this wonderful idea. She thought on the same lines as Ice Bucket Challenge which was initiated on social media to make people aware of the progressive neuro-degenerative disease ALS and to contribute to the ALS Association. The basic idea was to raise funds for a cause. In Ice Bucket Challenge you have to throw a bucket of ice-cold water over your head and upload the video of the action in social networking sites and challenge others to do the same. If they don’t want to do that, they have to donate 100$ to the ALS Association.

In Rice Bucket Challenge, you have to donate a bucket of rice or cooked food to a poor person and challenge others to do the same. Manju Latha Kalanidihi donated a bucket of rice to a beneficiary in Hyderabad and uploaded the picture in her Facebook page “https://www.facebook.com/ricebucketchallenge/”, where she has nominated her Facebook users to do the same. Facebook user Devuni from Vijeye took the challenge and she donated a bucketful of rice to Sathibabu, a poor daily labourer.

The challenge is very easy. All you have to do is donate a bucket full of rice. You can also feed the poor people in your neighbourhood with cooked food like khichri, biryani. Or else, you can donate medicines to the nearest government hospital or give Rs. 100 to the poor. This is not an expensive programme. It just needs an urge from your end to help the poor and needy.

The Rice Bucket Challenge has been aptly described as “Desi Challenge for Desi Needs”. According to Manju Latha, this is a simple and practical solution to issues in the locality. She also said that instead of wasting water, it is better to save water and feed the needy. So far she has got a very positive response from her Facebook fan page and more and more people have started making voluntary donations in their vicinities.

How to join the challenge

• Pick up a bowl or bucket of rice.
• Go to the nearest needy and deserving person in your area.
• Click a photo and upload it on Facebook with hashtag#RiceBucketChallenge
• Tag your friends and challenge them to do this

Thanks to Ms. Manju Latha Kalanidhi for this innovative idea of helping the poor and needy. This is no doubt the Indian version of the Ice Bucket Challenge. And it has gone viral across social media. On the first day itself, the Facebook page had 4000 likes, and on day 2, more than 10000 likes. The page was created on August 24, 2014. However, mere “likes” are not enough. The challenge is still in its infancy stage. It should not be limited to Hyderabad alone. Let’s not underestimate the power of social media. It should be shared and known to everyone around. More and more people should come up and accept the challenge. It’s not only a bucket of rice. It can be anything that can be of help to the poor people. A concrete initiative indeed, a very sensible challenge to bring that little smile on the faces of many…