Ice to Rice Indias desi bucket challenge

New Delhi: Known for tweaking unique ideas in a local flavour, India has capitalised on the immense popularity of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and come up with The Rice Bucket Challenge.

The brainchild of an Indian woman – Manju Latha Kalanidhi – the ‘Rice Bucket Challenge’ is a way to help the poor. Started on Facebook, the message has now gone viral on social media.

In just three days, the Facebook page has been liked by more than 25,000 people. The idea is a take on the Ice Bucket Challenge – Fill a bucket or bowl full with uncooked rice, go to the nearest needy person, donate it, click a picture and post it Facebook page with a hashtag #RiceBucketChallenge. By tagging friends and challenging them to do the same within 24 hours, the idea spreads.

Talking about the genesis of the idea, Manju says, “It all started when I was thought that the Ice Bucket wastes water, which is very precious. I wanted to do something useful for our own people without wasting anything. India is a home for hunger and hence, it’s better to feed the hunger stomachs. It’s a desi challenge for desi needs.”

The explosion of interest in the rice challenge is an indicator of how powerful social media has become in India. According to eMarketer, the number of internet users in India is expected to be around 200 million in 2016, a nearly three-fold increase since 2011. A large part of the growth comes from smartphone users: younger Indians who would be more likely to use social media.

A Facebook user, Cheruku Sannihitha Reddy, posted, “An idea can change your life is old slogan. An idea changes many lives is new slogan …n this is proved by yu Manju Latha Kalanidhi mam… …they say empty stomach leads to crime…in a way you are reducing crime rate!!”

The idea has caught on with Indian abroad as well. “I would like to thank Manju Latha Kalanidhi for coming up with the idea of the Rice Bucket Challenge… I accept it and I am donating buckets of rice to people in need in Toronto. Next I would like to nominate and challenge my friends Khurram Shroff, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, Justin Poy, Sukhi Nijjar and Bunny Gill to take the #RiceBucketChallenge as well. You have 24 hours. You can also donate to World Food Program at http://WFP.ORG/ who provide food to hungry souls in places like Syria and Gaza,” Sam Rifaat from Toronto posted in Facebook.

Manju Latha Kalanidihi is a Hyderabad-based editor of the rice research site Oryza.com . She has recieved well-wishes from as far as England and Sweden.

Despite India’s economic progress, the country suffers from “alarming” levels of hunger. It has the highest number of underweight children, under the age of five, in the world, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute.