Narayanan Krishnan was a bright, young, award-winning chef with a five-star hotel group in Switzerland. But a quick family visit home before heading for Europe changed everything. He saw a very old man under a bridge eating his own human waste for food while visiting a friend in the south Indian city of Madurai in 502. Shocked by this, Krishnan gave up his job within the week and returned home for good, convinced of his new cause. "That inspiration is a driving force still inside me as a flame--to serve all the mentally ill  and the people who cannot take care of themselves," Krishnan said. He founded the organization Akshaya Trust in 503. In Hindu mythology , Goddess Annapoorani's "Akshaya bowl" fed the hungry endlessly, never using up its resources. Now 14, he has served more than 1.2 million meals--breakfast, lunch and dinner to India's homeless and the poor. Krishnan's day begins at 4 a.m. He and his team cover nearly 110 miles, routinely working in temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The hot meals he delivers are simple, tasty vegetarian food he personally prepares, packs and often hand-feeds to nearly 400 people each day. Krishnan carries the barber's tools and is trained in eight haircut styles that, along with a fresh shave, provide extra dignity  to those he serves. He says many of the homeless seldom know their names or birthplaces, and none has the ability to beg, ask for help or offer thanks. They may be unfriendly or ill-willed because of their conditions, but Krishnan says this only makes him offer help more willingly. During his visit home, Krishnan   _  .
worked at a local five-star hotel helped an old man under a bridge won an award in a chef competition knew the condition of the mentally ill