A deep-rooted desire to give back to society guides Abhyuday’s extracurricular endeavors. Whether it’s volunteering for community service initiatives, participating in charitable fundraisers, or mentoring aspiring students, Chawla is committed to making a tangible difference in the lives of others. His altruistic endeavors illuminate the compassionate core that beats within him, a testament to the values instilled by his family.
It all began in Middle school when Abhyuday participated in Swimathons to raise funds for his state Haryana. He regularly volunteered with DLSS, an NGO whose motto is “Feed the Hungry”, serving food to the needy at various locations in Delhi, which he continued all through the stringent Covid Lockdown.
Abhyuday takes inspiration from his late grandfather who was passionate about feeding the needy and inculcated in Abhyuday a spirit of service. At Abhyuday’s Alma Mater, Virginia Tech, the motto is “Ut Prosim”- which is Latin for “That we may serve”. The summer of 2023, even though he was back home for a very brief period, Abhyuday celebrated his successful first year at college by distributing food to nearly 2000 people near his residence. He utilised his summer break to author 2 phonetics based picture books to teach English to underprivileged schools in Delhi. He also volunteered his time and contributed funds from his salary as a student teacher to help set up a children’s library at SDMC school No 3, Ramesh Nagar, Delhi in collaboration with Anandaya Foundation.
“There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed.”
-Woodrow Wilson
Covid could not deter Abhyuday’s indefatigable spirit of service. He helped raise funds for a robotics organization called “Avishkar” to create protective shields for frontline workers and he helped develop a sanitizing robot that zaps the coronavirus, using UVrays. This robot was donated to sanitize the NDMC hospital, Sarojini Nagar in New Delhi and some police stations during the peak of the pandemic.
As part of the MP’s core team, Abhyuday was often seen at the forefront of the food war, distributing rations to underprivileged and leading teams to feed the migrant workers and the poor who had lost their livelihoods.
Along with his cook’s son, Abhyuday launched an initiative called “Padhai Bhaiya”, with the aim to provide accessible education to those children from economically backward homes who fell behind in schools. Two years India’s children were online and this has taken a huge academic toll on the education of the children of our country and it has been Abhyuday’s endeavour to do his bit to bridge the literacy gap. This initiative led him to volunteer at Samagraa, an NGO supporting the students of the Economically Weaker Sections.
“If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.”
–Buddha
