Padma Lakshmi's career has been filled with highlights, from creating the Hulu series 鈥淭aste the Nation鈥� to hosting 鈥淭op Chef鈥� to writing a best-selling memoir and numerous cookbooks. But one of her life's 鈥渟eminal moments,鈥� she says, was decidedly lower-profile.
When Lakshmi visited Shanti Bhavan, a boarding school in her home state of Tamil Nadu in India, in 2012 and found herself surrounded by 250 of its students, it was a moment that still moves her today.
鈥淲hen I look at those children, I see my younger self,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 easily could have been born in a family like theirs."
Ajit George, Shanti Bhavan鈥檚 director of operations, said the school is grateful for Lakshmi鈥檚 personal donations and the corporate donations she seeks in return for her speeches. Her visit to the school still inspires the students, who come from households in poverty, earning less than $2 a day.
Shanti Bhavan, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, accommodates about 300 students ages 4 to 22. Each year, the school selects an additional 28 students to replace graduates. But up to 500 children apply, George said, which is why they hope to open a second school in 2024 to meet the demand.
Lakshmi said she is committed to supporting Shanti Bhavan and its approach to education.
鈥淚 was very, very impressed 鈥� not only with the mission but with how they thought of this child and the student holistically as a human being,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey understand the culture shock of coming from some of the poorest families in that area to a school like that, being introduced to all the things that they鈥檙e introduced to can be psychologically jarring.鈥�
Lakshmi spoke recently with The Associated Press about her philanthropy and her connection to Shanti Bhavan. The interview was edited for clarity and length.
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Q: After your visit to Shanti Bhavan, the students looked to you as a role model.
A: I don鈥檛 really feel like I鈥檓 a role model. I just feel like I鈥檓 in a place where I can help them and I should help them because I can. It鈥檚 as simple as that. Whatever help or guidance they鈥檝e gotten from me, whether it鈥檚 monetary or through my presence or efforts, I have gotten just as much, if not more, from those children. I鈥檓 getting tearful now just talking about it. It was such a wonderful experience. Shanti Bhavan is this beacon of light in a very dark time, and I鈥檓 so happy it exists. I鈥檓 very honored to be able to help.
Q: Does that sum up your approach to philanthropy?
A: If there鈥檚 one common denominator in all of the causes that I鈥檝e been involved in, I would say it鈥檚 about equality and leveling the playing field, trying to give opportunity to those who don鈥檛 have as much opportunity. When I started my women鈥檚 health foundation, one of the reasons I did it is that I had gone through an illness and I had felt so held back because of something I couldn鈥檛 control. For me, making sure that young women and girls got screened for endometriosis and got the care they needed much earlier than I did meant that they would have an equal playing field with their male counterparts. It鈥檚 so much more difficult for a woman to advance in your career for a whole host of reasons than it is for a man. When you add a debilitating chronic gynecological disease to the mix, it compounds that.
Q: And with the ACLU?
A: I am an immigrant, and I really am thankful to this country for giving my mother the opportunity to build a new life for us when she had a very turbulent marriage. We were a middle class family where my mother had a college degree and was trained as a nurse so she could support herself and got a visa to come here because there was a shortage of medical professionals here in America in the 鈥�70s. And my mother, in return, has given a lot to this country. So I feel that immigrants have a foundational role to play in the history of this country, and villainizing them, whether they come with a visa or as a refugee, is not the answer. We鈥檙e actually shooting ourselves in the foot as a nation. And so that鈥檚 why I got involved with the ACLU.
Q: What has inspired you to be so outspoken about these issues?
A: Once I got on the other side of my endometriosis and realized what life was like without it, I got angry. I just felt that nobody was speaking about this disease, and it鈥檚 also like that with immigration.
Q: And you believe that the Shanti Bhavan model of providing children the education and support needed to become well-rounded people is also worth fighting for.
A: It sounds corny, but really the world will be better. It鈥檚 not enough that I worry just about my child or my neighbor鈥檚 child. We鈥檝e seen that with COVID, right? We are all connected, whether we want to be or not. So that鈥檚 how a child in Brazil or India or Nigeria who does not get an education, who does not also get a fair chance at life one day is involved. My child will grow up with those children in the same world, and they will still affect each other. From the human point of view, we weren鈥檛 all born the same, but we should all have the same shot at making the best versions of ourselves happen. I wish that there were Shanti Bhavans all over India and all over the global South where they are needed.
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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP鈥檚 collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP鈥檚 philanthropy coverage, visit .
Glenn Gamboa, The Associated Press
