Narayanan Krishnan could have worked at one of the swankiest kitchens in the world, cooking for people who want a Michelin star or two with their gourmet lunch.

But today, he works from his Madurai home, cooking for people for days and years have foraged for one filling meal at garbage bins.

Krishnan, a celebrated chef, gave up his job at an elite restaurant in Switzerland a week after he saw a very old, homeless man eat his own faeces under a Madurai bridge one morning in 2002.

Shocked, he fed the man knowing almost instantly that he would be feeding hungry destitutes for the rest of his life.

"That spark and that inspiration is a driving force still inside me as a flame -- to serve all the mentally ill destitutes and people who cannot take care of themselves," this hero told CNN.

Akshaya Trust, his non-profit, was founded in 2003. Seven years later, Krishnan, now 29, has served 1.2 million meals - feeding hundreds of desitutes and homeless people everyday.

His parents had once turned away from his philanthropy, unhappy to see his promising career buried so early. But today, their son has found a higher calling than being called a masterchef.

"They had a lot of pain because they had spent a lot on my education. I asked my mother, 'Please come with me, see what I am doing.' After coming back home, my mother said, 'You feed all those people, the rest of the lifetime I am there, I will feed you.' I'm living for Akshaya. My parents are taking care of me," CNN reports him saying.

Here's a quiet, unassuming hero for all ages - and the only Indian shortlisted as a contender for being named a CNN Hero this year. Help him be an ideal for people worldwide and vote for Krishnan in the CNN Heroes project.