Purnota Dutta Bahl is the Founder and CEO of NGO ‘Cuddles Foundation’, a well-known NGO in India that focuses on the unrecognized field of nutrition for children affected by cancer.
Wiki/Biography
Purnota was born in 1980 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. She joined Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai where she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, followed by an MBA from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.
Profession
Purnota Dutta Bahl and Embrace Children Foundation
Purnota started her journey as a social entrepreneur in 2012. A graduate of ISB, she has worked in corporate India for nearly 11 years, managing and leading brands for companies such as Hindustan Times and Shaadi.com. By chance, she visited the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai and learned about the plight of Indian children fighting cancer. Malnourished children are less likely to develop cancer than well-nourished children, primarily because they are intolerant to chemotherapy. Purnota knew she could do something about it. She quit her corporate career to learn about nutrition, talk to doctors, create a blueprint for a nonprofit, and make it her mission to fight cancer through food and nutrition. She persuaded a number of like-minded individuals to join her venture, who had complementary skills in her corporate life. Leveraging her background as a marketer, they sent out promotional materials and met with doctors to get the medical community to buy into the need to fight childhood cancer through nutrition. Soon, many pediatric oncologists joined the cause and became champions.
What started as an idea has gone on to become the primary nutrition provider for pediatric wards at many government cancer hospitals across the country, including Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai and AIIMS in Delhi. In 2016, Cuddles was awarded the National Child Welfare Award by the President of India. In 2018, with the help of volunteers, Cuddles developed her own app, called the FoodHeals App, to support nutritionists in grading malnutrition in children and providing appropriate interventions. Purnota has set high goals to expand Cuddles’ nutritional model for childhood cancer to other developing parts of the world.
Awards and Honors
- 2015-16 Presidential Award for Child Welfare
Purnota Dutta Bahl wins National Award
- 2019 Zhanwangposhan Jury Special Award
- Akshaya Patra has been awarded the 2018 United Nations Global Compact Award for her nutritional solutions to address malnutrition in India.
- In March 2020, Panna Dhai was awarded the Child Welfare Contribution Award at the 38th Annual Mewar Foundation Awards
Facts/Trivia
- Purnota shared one of her experiences with the Cuddles Foundation, saying,
There was a boy Nandu who worked in a factory during the day and came for treatment at night. Despite being ill and undergoing chemotherapy, Nandu had no choice but to work. Caddell’s nutritionist comes to his rescue. With their gentle encouragement and nutritional support, he eventually quit his job. Now, having recovered, he is starting school with the lofty dream of becoming a scientist, searching for treatments for cancer and other diseases. “
- Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor is one of the fundraisers. She is also a brand ambassador for the Cuddles Foundation.
Sonam Kapoor and cancer patients
- Purnota and Emraan Hashmi appeared on KBC 11’s Karamveer show on November 22, 2019. Purnota shared her experience with her NGO, while Emraan shared the real-life experience of his son Ayaan Hashmi, who suffered from cancer.
Purnota Dutta Bahl, KBC
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education