Who doesn’t like gifts? And a wholesome meal as a gift is no less than a surprise. But what if this a regular tradition followed by a cafeteria near you? Totally unimaginable, right? Ahmedabad’s Seva Cafe brings in the exact same concept to reality where your meal is a gift from someone else who came before you. It’s not just a tradition here but a belief in the happiness of serving people. This cafe not just gives a wholesome dinning experience but also leaves behind a lesson for all. ‘Living is Giving’ is what they believe here in Seva Cafe. You don’t get a bill once you are done with your meal as it was already paid by the guests before you. All you need to do is carry forward this tradition and contribute in sustaining it. The visitors in the cafe are treated as guests, more like family, than mere customers.

The cafe is an initiative by John Silliphant and Jayesh Patel, founders of Manav Sadhna NGO. It was founded in 2006 with its primary location in Ahmedabad. The motive is to make a change and connect people with the bond of trust. The cafe is based on pay-it-forward idea and is run by the contributions made by the guests. All the costs and income are made transparent with all the profits made in use for social services.

The cafe is run and operated by volunteers willing to devote their free time rendering their services. From cooking the meal to serving it, everything is done by the volunteers.

In today’s fast-paced life where people have forgotten to look after their loved ones, Seva Cafe is reminding and taking forward the concept of ‘Joy of giving’. The successful 15 years of this cafe justify the idea of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and prove that the spirit of giving still resides within.