Purnotta Datta Bahl is the Founder and CEO of “Cuddles Foundation”, a well-known NGO in India that focuses on the unrecognized area of nutrition of cancer affected children.
Wiki/Biography
Purnota was born in 1980 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. She joined Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai, from where she completed her Bachelor of Commerce and later, she completed her MBA from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.
livelihood
Purnota Dutta Behl with Children of Cuddles Foundation
Purnota started her journey as a social entrepreneur in 2012. He graduated from ISB and spent nearly 11 years in corporate India, managing and leading brands for companies like Hindustan Times and Shaadi.com. A chance visit to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai introduced him to the plight of children fighting cancer in India. Malnourished children have a lower chance of surviving cancer than a well-nourished child – mainly because of their intolerance to chemotherapy. Purnota knew she could do something about it. She left her corporate career, learned about nutrition, talked to doctors, developed a blueprint for a nonprofit, and made it her mission to fight cancer with food and nutrition. He convinced some like-minded individuals with complementary skill sets from their corporate lives to join his cause. Leveraging her background as a marketer, she sent out advocacy materials and met with doctors so the medical community could support the need for nutrition to fight childhood cancer. Soon many pediatric oncologists joined the cause and became champions.
Cuddles started as an idea and has since been the primary provider of nutrition in pediatric wards in several government cancer hospitals across the country, including Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai and AIIMS in Delhi. In 2016, Cuddles was honored with the National Award for Child Welfare by the President of India. In 2018, with the help of volunteers, Cuddles developed its own app named ‘FoodHeals App’ to grade a child’s malnutrition status and support nutritionists in providing appropriate interventions. Purnotta has set her goals high to take Cuddles’ nutrition model for childhood cancer to other developing corners of the world.
Awards and Honors
- President’s Award for Child Welfare 2015-16
Purnota Dutta Bahl received National Award
- Outlook Nutrition Special Jury Award, 2019
- Akshaya Patra and UN Global Compact Award for nutrition solutions in tackling India’s malnutrition problem in 2018.
- Panna Dhay Award for contribution to the welfare of children at the 38th Annual Awards of Mewar Foundation in March 2020
Facts/General Knowledge
- Purnota shared her experience with Cuddles Foundation, saying,
There was a boy named Nandu who used to work part time in a factory during the day and would come for treatment in the evening. Despite his illness and chemotherapy, Nandu had no option but to work. Cuddles’ nutritionists came to her rescue. With his gentle encouragement and nurturing support, he eventually quit his job. Today he has recovered and started going to school with the noble dream of becoming a scientist to find a cure for diseases like cancer.
- Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor is one of the fundraisers. She is also the brand ambassador of Cuddles Foundation.
Sonam Kapoor with cancer patients
- Purnota and Emraan Hashmi appeared in the Karamveer episode of KBC 11 on 22 November 2019. Purnotta shared her experiences with her NGO, while Imran shared the real-life experiences of his son Ayaan Hashmi, who once suffered from cancer.
Purnota Dutta Behal in KBC
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn