By afternoon in Agra, the heat settles heavily over construction sites, roadside corners and tree-lined stretches where birds gather in search of water. The summer temperature in the city often touches 40 degrees Celsius. The winds are harsh and unforgiving; people and animals struggle with dehydration, and the search for water and shade becomes a daily necessity.
Life, however, carries on. Construction workers continue to toil under the blazing sun, street vendors carry on with their routines, and birds seek refuge wherever they can find it.
While most people are busy planning their day, one man chose to pause and notice what others often overlook — labourers working for hours in the scorching heat and thirsty birds resting silently under trees, waiting for water.
Meet Suyash Jain, a marketing and branding professional from Agra whose commitment to social service has been shaping lives for years. Today, he works for a marketing firm, but beyond his professional role, he has spent much of his time finding ways to support people in need.
A support network born during the pandemic
His journey as a changemaker became particularly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first wave, when thousands across India lost jobs, income and stability overnight, Suyash chose to act.
Along with Rajat Agarwal, he launched the COVID-19 Free Jobs Forum to connect job seekers with employers across the country. What began as a simple Google Form soon evolved into a large support network.
His journey as a changemaker became particularly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to YourStory, the forum received registrations from more than 8,000 job seekers within a month and eventually grew into a community of over 13,000 job seekers and 600 recruiters, helping more than 1,200 people find employment.
But when the second wave struck, Suyash realised that many families needed something even more fundamental than jobs — they needed food. Blue-collar workers, migrant labourers, daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers, families living under bridges and residents of slum settlements were struggling to arrange even a single proper meal.
Inspired by his parents, who had already been helping daily wage workers with food supplies from their home, Suyash started the ‘Feeding Ones In Need’ initiative on 15 May 2021. Using his own income initially, he purchased ration kits containing atta (wheat flour), rice, dal (lentils), sugar, salt, spices, tea powder and oil.
As the need grew, he began raising funds to reach more families. Each kit could support a family of four for nearly two weeks. The first drive reached 150 families in Agra, followed by another distribution covering around 200 more families across different parts of the city.
He also visited construction sites to support workers there. Altogether, more than 400 ration kits were distributed during the initiative’s early phase.
For Suyash, these efforts were never acts of charity. They were acts of responsibility — a way of standing beside people during their most difficult moments.
‘Helping others runs in the family’
The roots of that philosophy go back much further. Long before Suyash began organising relief drives and employment forums, he watched his parents serve their community every day.
His father would wake up early each morning to place bajra (pearl millet) and rice on the rooftop for birds. He distributed around 50 rotis to cows daily and, during summers, would step out at dawn to hand packets of biscuits to security guards, workers and others who began their day before the rest of the city had woken up.
His mother worked behind the scenes, helping prepare and organise everything so these small acts of kindness could continue uninterrupted.
This year, Suyash launched ‘Summer Relief Seva’, a grassroots effort aimed at helping both people and birds cope with Agra’s unforgiving summer.
There were no announcements, photographs or expectations of recognition. Helping others was simply a way of life.
“Helping others runs in the family,” Suyash says with a smile.
It is this culture of compassion that has shaped him and inspired his latest effort to bring relief to both labourers and birds battling Agra’s relentless summer heat.
Sharbat for workers, water for birds
This year, Suyash launched ‘Summer Relief Seva’, a grassroots effort aimed at helping both people and birds cope with Agra’s unforgiving summer.
The initiative revolves around two simple acts of care.
The first is distributing chilled sharbat (a sweet summer drink) to people who spend long hours working outdoors — security guards, construction workers, ragpickers and others who continue their duties under the scorching sun.
The second is placing water bowls and bajra for birds across the city so they have access to food and water during extreme heat.
The idea took shape shortly after Suyash arrived in Agra in mid-April for a six-month work project. While moving around the city, he noticed construction workers labouring through the hottest hours of the day and birds searching for water in the intense heat.
“I initially started by giving out cold water to labourers,” he says. “But then I felt that if we added some sugar content, it would not only help with hydration but also give people some energy. That’s when I started serving sharbat.”
Every afternoon between 12 pm and 4 pm, the time when he usually takes his lunch break, Suyash visits different locations across the city with freshly prepared sharbat. He chose this time of the day as the temperatures are usually high during these hours. On average, he serves around 30 to 40 workers a day.
Rather than trying to reach hundreds of people at once, he has consciously chosen a different approach.
“I wanted to help fewer people but do it consistently and give them something of good quality,” he explains.
The initiative draws heavily from the example set by his parents, who have spent years caring for animals and helping people in quiet, consistent ways. Photograph: (AI Generated)
The initiative is currently funded largely from his own pocket. Every day, he spends approximately Rs 350 on ingredients such as sugar, sharbat concentrate and ice. His goal is to continue the effort until at least the first week of August, when temperatures begin to ease.
Alongside the sharbat distribution, Suyash and his family have placed water pots for birds at 10 to 15 locations across Agra. These are regularly monitored and refilled to ensure birds have access to clean drinking water throughout the summer.
The initiative draws heavily from the example set by his parents, who have spent years caring for animals and helping people in quiet, consistent ways.
“My parents were already doing this, especially for animals,” says Suyash. “I simply followed in their footsteps.”
Your help can keep this summer seva going
Today, he hopes the initiative can grow beyond his own efforts. He is looking for volunteers who can help identify locations, refill water bowls and participate in sharbat distribution drives. He is also seeking donations to help cover the recurring costs of ingredients and supplies.
For Suyash, the strongest motivation comes from the people he meets in the heat of these afternoons, workers who pause for a glass of sharbat, offer a blessing, and return to labour under the same blazing sun.
But one person can only cover so many streets, refill so many bowls, and serve so many glasses.
Your contribution can help this summer seva reach more construction workers, guards, ragpickers and thirsty birds across Agra. A small donation can help buy sugar, ice, sharbat concentrate, bird feed and water bowls. A few hours of volunteering can help identify more locations and ensure the bowls stay filled.
If you wish to donate or volunteer, fill out the form and join the initiative. In a summer this harsh, even one glass of sharbat or one bowl of water can mean real relief.
To know more details, you can directly reach out to Suyash Jain on: 8791629433.
