Divya Sathyaraj | |
|---|---|
 Divya in 2014 | |
| Born | (1985-10-24)24 October 1985 (age 39) |
| Alma mater | University of Madras |
| Occupation | Nutritionist |
| Political party | DMK |
| Relatives | Sathyaraj (father) Sibiraj (brother) |
Divya Sathyaraj is an Indiannutritionist. She is the daughter of actorSathyaraj and the sister ofSibi. Divya is thegoodwill ambassador ofThe Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), anNGO implementing theGovernment of India’sMidday Meal Scheme for school children. She has also started a movement in 2020,Mahilmadhi Iyakkam, an initiative to provide healthy and nutritious meals to themalnourished andunder-privileged communities, free of cost.
Divya is the daughter of actorSathyaraj and Maheshwari. Divya's elder brother is actorSibi.[1][2] Unlike her father and her elder brother, Divya abstained from acting, instead pursuing a career in nutrition.[3] Originally a vegetarian, she became avegan in 2016.[4]
Divya graduated with aMaster of Philosophy in Nutrition from theUniversity of Madras.[5] She conductsworkshops on health-related issues,child labour andself-defence for women, andcounseling sessions forSri Lankan refugees.[6] She had written a letter to thePrime Minister of India,Narendra Modi, pointing out the malpractices and negligence in medical field and questioning theNEET exams.[7][8] She is the goodwill ambassador ofAkshaya Patra Foundation,[9] the world's largest midday meal programme.[10][11] She has also partnered withWorld Vision India, where she has assumed responsibility for four young girls.[12][5]
Divya started a movement in 2020,Mahilmadhi Iyakkam. About the movement she says, "The purpose of the movement is to identify areas in the city where access to nutritious food and awareness about its benefits are lacking. Once the areas are identified and the community members are assessed, those in the neighbourhood who are in need, will be provided hygienic and healthy food, free of cost, based on the deficiencies."[13] In 2019, Divya announced she would get intopolitics in 2021.[8][14]
In 2019, Divya received the Women Achiever Award for excellence in community service from Raindrops, a youth-based social organisation spreading social awareness through media and entertainment.[5][14] In 2020, she was awarded anhonorary doctorate by theInternational Tamil University, USA, in recognition for her contributions in the field of Nutritional therapy.[15]
Divya joinedDravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on 19 December in the presence of Chief MinisterM. K. Stalin at the party headquarters Anna Arivalayam inChennai.[16]
