A Friend of Shah Rukh Khan and Even the Poor: Meet Astronomer and Businessman Bharat Mehra

Last update:December 10, 2024, 1:20 p.m. IST

Bharat Mehra Trusts in Maharashtra focus on four key areas: hunger eradication, healthcare, education and women’s empowerment.

(Clockwise from left) Bharat Mehra with Anant Ambani, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and CM Devendra Fadnavis. (Instagram)

Bharat Mehra wears many hats from opposite worlds, and that too with equal ease and panache. The astromancer-entrepreneur, comfortable in high society, hobnobbing with the Ambanis or actors like Shah Rukh Khan, has been working for 25 years to uplift the tribal and marginalized communities of Maharashtra.

As chairman of the Radha Meera Charitable Trust and the Krishnakali Navgrah Mandir Trust, Mehra provides free services to the underprivileged and uses his spiritual practices to promote their mental and physical well-being.

Mehra envisions transforming India’s underserved communities into self-reliant and sustainable populations, focusing on four key areas: hunger eradication, healthcare, education and women’s empowerment. Its mission is to ensure that every individual has access to necessities, including nutritious food, clean water, quality health care and education, enabling them to lead a dignified life.

Mehra’s philanthropic vision echoes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development priorities. Its emphasis on creating self-reliant communities aligns with the government’s focus on grassroots development, skills improvement and social inclusion.

KEY PROJECTS OF RADHA MEERA CHARITABLE TRUST

Mehra has brought profound transformation to underprivileged communities, uplifting over 18-20 villages/hamlets. The four major verticals are:

1. ZERO HUNGER

Recognizing hunger as one of the root causes of poverty and reduced productivity, Mehra launched a community food service – Prasadalaya. This initiative provides free, healthy meals to 2,000 villagers every day, particularly benefiting children, the elderly and people with disabilities. The vision – “Nowhere, at any time, should anyone go hungry” – ensures food security for disadvantaged families, allowing them to allocate their resources to other priorities.

Their main initiatives include:

• Mobile vans delivering nutritious meals.
• Annual distribution of 36,000 food parcels containing essential products such as cereals, cooking oil and groceries.
• Provision of 50,000 essential items, including raincoats and umbrellas.

2. HEALTH CARE AND SANITATION

To address the lack of access to affordable medical services, Mehra created the SWASTH Healthcare initiatives. They provide comprehensive medical support, including:

• A fully equipped pathology center staffed by qualified doctors and technicians.
• A 24/7 pharmacy offering free medications.
• Two ambulances facilitating the transport of intensive care and emergency interventions.
• Regular medical camps, including hygiene awareness campaigns, blood donations and eye exams.
• Financial assistance for critical surgical procedures.

Clean drinking water: To combat water shortage, the association provides 90,000 liters of drinking water to more than 20 villages and has installed water pumps in arid regions. They improve health outcomes and reduce the burden on women of fetching water, allowing them to engage in productive activities.

3. EDUCATION AND EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

Mehra’s focus on education and skills development aims to empower individuals and communities. The trust’s efforts include:

• Distribution of educational materials to more than 1,500 students per year.
• Scholarships enabling hundreds of children to pursue higher education.
• Tutoring programs to encourage school dropouts to re-enroll.

Nari Shakthi: The trust offers vocational training in sewing, basket weaving and beautician training. Financial support is also offered to help women start their own businesses, thereby promoting economic independence and self-reliance.

4. AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES

To build economically liberated communities, Mehra has started dairy farming and has a Gowshala project (in the pipeline). The dairy project infrastructure, designed to state-of-the-art hygiene standards, ensures both economic and nutritional benefits for the community.

This project should:

• Provide employment to 800 villagers in milk procurement, processing and distribution.
• Fight against malnutrition by distributing milk and other dairy products to children and villagers.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

The trust also engages in other impactful initiatives including:

• Aid against COVID-19: distribution of thousands of food parcels, protection kits and awareness campaigns during the pandemic.
• Community Hall: Creating a free community hall for social gatherings, festivals and community weddings, reducing the financial burden on families.
• Natural Disaster Relief: Supporting families affected by the typhoon in the Philippines, providing utility kits to over 1,000 households.
• Religious and spiritual support: Use of Krishnakali Mandir Trust premises for spiritual and community gatherings, promoting mental well-being.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Mehra has received several prestigious awards for her humanitarian efforts, including:

• Times Business Award 2024 for Outstanding Social Entrepreneurship
• Rotary Humanitarian Award (2022-2023)
• Mahatma Gandhi Samman Award (2022)
• CSR Times Awards (2022)
• Indian Achievers Awards (2022)
• MAN OF EXCELLENCE (2021)
• Bharat Nirman Puraskar (2018)

THE IMPACT

Over the past five years, Mehra’s philanthropic efforts have positively impacted more than 75,000 households and 250,000 individuals. The trust ensured food security with daily meals for 2,000 villagers and an annual distribution of essential commodities. As part of access to healthcare, pathology services have benefited 3,500 patients so far and free medicines have been provided to over 45,000 people. Ambulance services helped 700 critical patients.

In terms of education, the trust ensured the re-enrollment of 500 students in schools, providing educational materials to 1,500 students. These scholarships have enabled hundreds of students to pursue higher education.

Mehra trusts have provided vocational training to 1,000 women. Additionally, the dairy project is expected to increase household incomes by Rs 30,000 per year and combat malnutrition in rural communities.

With plans to expand his philanthropic projects to other states, Mehra plans to establish retirement homes, improve access to health care and create educational institutions for economically disadvantaged communities.