Adani @ Rath Yatra

Stirring the Pot, Serving the Spirit: Gautam Adani’s Silent Seva in Puri

On a sweltering day in Puri, the ancient coastal town in Odisha, amid the chants of “Jai Jagannath,” Gautam Adani, the Chairman of Adani Group, walked into a community kitchen already buzzing with activity: volunteers stirring pots of khichdi, chopping vegetables, and kneading dough to bake rotis. Without the familiar trappings of ceremony, he tied a simple cotton apron, rolled up his sleeves, and joined in—offering food, not seats; empathy, not address.

Each ladle he handed out served more than nourishment; it carried reverence. Mr. Adani. Along with his wife Dr. Priti Adani, Chairperson, Adani Foundation; and eldest son Mr. Karan Adani, Managing Director, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) visited Puri on 28 June on the second day of the nine- day-long sacred festival.  

Pilgrims—some exhausted from their pilgrimage, others sitting cross-legged on the temple grounds—received a plate with a warm smile. Conversation flowed freely, not corporate protocol but human connection: “Where are you from?”; “Here’s a little extra spice for you.” In each exchange, Mr. Adani was not “the chairman”; he was a sevak—service incarnate.

The billionaire entrepreneur has often underscored that Seva Hi Sadhana Hai—that service is worship. In the kitchen’s heat, that idea took flesh. He washed vessels, arranged bowls for pilgrims, and stepped in wherever needed—to refill water cans, clear serving trays, calm anxious volunteers who’d never felt such pressure before.

Nearby workers took notice. Some had been with the rath Yatra for decades; others were new recruits from local communities, trained and guided by the Adani Foundation, the CSR arm of the Adani Group. It struck them deeply to see their leader knead dough with them or reach for a ladle of dal, treating everyone as an equal. It was leadership without hierarchy, compassion without spotlight.

This seva wasn’t a one-off charity—it was part of a larger tradition. 

Earlier this year, in Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh Mela, Mr. Adani and his team had prepared thousands of meals and soups for pilgrim crowds. In Puri, the scale was different, but the intent remained the same: shared effort, cultural continuity, and quiet dignity.

Long before the Rath Yatra began, Adani Foundation teams had mapped kitchen needs—quantities of food, volunteer shifts, water and sanitation plans—blending logistical precision with cultural understanding. And now, amidst the saints and spectators, Mr. Adani became part of that living tapestry, quietly reinforcing that service isn’t seasonal—it’s spiritual.