Chitresh Sinha: Combating Hunger with Art, One Plate at a Time

Chitresh Sinha, a brand strategist and consultant at Chlorophyll Brand & Communications Consultancy, embarked on a mission during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic that would blend creativity, social impact, and entrepreneurship. What began as an experiment to address India’s hunger crisis swiftly transformed into a thriving independent venture, The Plated Project. This article explores the remarkable journey of Chitresh Sinha and the unique initiative he established to fight hunger through art.

While scrolling through Instagram, Sinha stumbled upon a hard-hitting ad stating that hunger claims more lives annually than AIDS, malaria, and terrorism combined, a fact corroborated by the UN’s World Food Programme. This revelation inspired him to delve deeper into the issue. Surprisingly, Sinha discovered that a substantial 82% of people suffering from hunger resided in countries with food surpluses, not shortages. Determined to make a difference and raise awareness, Sinha gathered a group of friends, who would eventually become The Plated Project team. Together, they devised the motto “Buy a plate, fill a plate,” laying the foundation for their journey to leverage art for tackling hunger.

India faces a significant challenge concerning hunger, as highlighted by the Global Hunger Index 2021, where the country ranks 101st among 135 assessed nations. The seriousness of the issue is reflected in India’s score of 27.5. By comparison, countries like Pakistan (ranked 92), Nepal (76), and Sri Lanka (65) fare better in addressing hunger. From its humble beginnings with a team of three, The Plated Project has now grown to include 12 full-time members and five consultants. Core team members include Dhruvi Shah, responsible for design and art curation, Kapil Goswami, leading operations, and Shonali Neg, serving as the business head. Notably, this initiative was nurtured under the mentorship of brand consultant and author Kiran Khalap.

During the Covid-19 lockdowns, team members transformed their homes into workplaces, with each contributing to different aspects of the project. Sinha’s house served as the hub for paperwork, while other members managed activities such as art sampling, inventory management, and dispatch from their own homes. The dedication to their mission was evident, with Sinha humorously recalling Kapil’s home serving as the warehouse, eventually leading to complaints from Kapil’s parents due to space constraints.

Using Art to Address Hunger:

The Plated Project follows a unique approach to combat hunger. Every month, the team selects a theme centered around a specific social issue, guided by inputs from individuals associated with various social initiatives. Over 100 artists from India and around the world collaborate with the project, creating artistic plates designed to initiate conversations about the chosen social issue. These plates are sold through the project’s website and social media channels, with each sale contributing to tangible impact by sponsoring meals for the needy. The initiative’s inaugural series, “A Quarter of Nostalgia,” was a collaboration with pastry chef Pooja Dhingra. The plates showcased happy childhood memories on three-quarters of the surface, leaving one-quarter blank to illustrate the challenge of creating such memories on an empty stomach. This powerful imagery aimed to address the alarming malnutrition rates among children in Indian cities.

The Plated Project partners with over 10 NGOs, including GiveIndia, Milaan Foundation, and Kranti, to channel its efforts in fighting hunger. The project’s products, which range in price from Rs 799 to Rs 25,000, allocate 50% of revenue to sponsor meals. A minimum of 10 meals is donated every month from the sale of each item. The initiative began with a seed investment of Rs 1.5 lakh from Sinha and has been profitable since its inception. This profitability, combined with steady growth, has allowed the project to make a substantial impact. It has sponsored over 520,000 meals, including 150,000 during the initial lockdown period. The project has become a thriving community with over 1 lakh customers in India and abroad, evolving from a small Instagram handle with three followers to a following of over 40,000.