No Easy Answers

This post is not about giving, at least not directly. But yet we hope it leads to one asking questions about giving, even as we commit ourselves to give.

This morning, while on the daily commute by a Mumbai local, the train stopped for a fairly long duration between Santacruz and Khar stations. (For non-Mumbaikars, Santacruz and Khar are two suburban stations). Sitting comfortably in the First Class compartment next to a window (a highly coveted seat), one looked idly out of the window to see adoloscent boys and young girls sitting on the adjoining railway track, with a small plastic bucket of water waiting for our train to pass so that they could cross the tracks and go towards some bushes to answer the call of nature, a daily ritual for those living in the slums in cities. Somewhere in the background, Bhajans were being played probably from the community Ganesh mandal. One could visualise the garish thermocole decorations, the flowers and the lights decorating the Mandal all made possible with contributions from the residents of the vicinity. A thought crossed the mind : Do we have our priorities wrong? Could the money spent on community celebrations not be put to better use by constructing basic community facilities?
The second disturbing event that happened today was in the evening when the vegetable and fruit vendors at Andheri, (another suburb in Mumbai) had to quickly pack their wares because the municipal van was making the rounds to confiscate goods from unlicenced hawkers. Some were not lucky and their goods confiscated, they rode to the municipal office to try and get their carts back perhaps after paying a fine or a bribe or perhaps lost their goods altogether. All of us walked by unconcerned and indifferent to the plight of the hawkers and their monetary loss, even though many of us patronised them on a daily basis. Why do we find it so difficult to take a stand and commit ourselves? Is it because we do not care? is it because we lack empathy ? Is it because we are uncomfortable about peeling off the layers of the difficult lives of the less privileged to find out what lies beneath ?

It is important to answer these questions for in answering them we will discover our motivation for giving. There are no easy answers and no right ones. That is why we need to participate in the Joy of Giving Week, for it will hopefully set us off on a journey of giving for others and in the process, we will discover the answers.

Does India Give Enough?

That is not a rhetorical question, but one that we need to ask ourselves as we move further towards the Joy of Giving Week. If one were to go by the number of homeless, by the number of starving children, by the number of children at signals- peddling books, flowers, begging; by the number of those seeking alms and food outside places of worship; we would say Indians do not give enough. But yet consider this: our major temples have more money today then they did a decade ago, our Gods are adorned with gold, diamonds and precious stones, in fact there is a temple lined wih gold in Vellore in Tamil Nadu. Is not all this a pointer to the fact that we do give?

We are a country that likes to give, whatever the religion we follow, the majority of us give, both because we want to and also because our religion asks us to. The trouble however lies in this that we do not follow up either before or after our giving . We assuage our conscience by making a contribution to a local NGO, or dropping some money in temple hundis, or collection boxes at places of worship, and feel we have done our bit. We neither have the time nor the inclination to wonder whether the money has been put to good use or to wonder if that was what was needed.

It is important to ask this for the answer to this can and will motivate further giving. We are not just talking about monetary contributions here. Our time, skills and other resources also need to be put to good use. After the tsunami we indulged in what can only be described as an orgy of giving. We gave so much and some of it so unsuitable (esp. clothes, we forgot that the rural areas do not dress the way we city dwellers do), that a lot of resources went waste. More recently, after the terrorist attack in Mumbai, doctors at hospitals in Mumbai went on record asking eager donors to check what was needed before donating. A very sensible and practical viewpoint and one that we need to remember as we commit ourselves to being a part of the Joy of Giving Week.

Giving Principles

Those who give to us teach us to give.

The more you give, the more you get.

Those who have in abundance, should give in abundance.

Give because you value giving, not as a compulsion.

We have two hands; one to receive and one to give.

Be personally present in your giving. (Give wholeheartedly)

One can never give enough.

Don’t ask, just give.

Giving makes the world a better place.

There is enough in this world for everyone’s need, not everyones’ greed. (Mahatma Gandhi). So Give. The Joy of Giving Week

Joining Forces

Can we visualise a scenario where India will be garbage free ? Difficult for most of us but if all of us come together and decide to clean up on a single day then we can definitely start moving towards a cleaner India. This is not an impossible task but can be made possible, with the help of strong motivators, who inspire collective action.

This is what happened in Estonia last year which had a nation wide campaign 'Teeme ara' or a 'Let's Do It' drive that saw around 40,000 volunteers turn up on a single day to clean up the country.

"Clean-up campaign "Teeme ära!" (Let's Do It!) was led by one of the Skype inventors, Ahti Heinla, and the founder of Microlink and Delfi, Rainer Nõlvak, who used own-created innovative software based on Google Earth, positioning software for mobile phones and mobile phones with GPS to map and take images of illegal garbage dumps across the country. With the help of volunteers, they mapped more than 3000 illegal waste dumping sites. At the end of May 3rd a huge part of it was gathered and transported to waste collection centers" (Maigi's blog)

Here's a video of the drive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5GryIDl0qY


A movement like this is what the Joy of Giving Week is aiming at. Collective action that will enable us to move forward as a nation towards a better and more joyous life. If we can come together we could surely move mountains, but even as individuals, let us start shifting pebbles so one day we move the mountain. Let us resolve to give for the joy of others.

Musings......

"Stone walls do not a prison make, / Nor iron bars a cage."

Even as we rejoice at the rise in the number of those registering for the JGW, comes a story from ‘God’s Own Country,’ Kerala, that is at once humbling and inspiring. It is one of those stories that drives home the message that the Joy of Giving breaks all barriers, even the stone walls and iron gates of a prison.

Gladwin Emmanuel reports on this story for the Mumbai Mirror. Justin, an inmate of the Viyyur Central Prison in Thrissur, saw an appeal for funds in a Malyalam daily,from the parent of Nanditha, for surgery of the heart. Nanditha’s father is a casual labourer and could not raise the 2 lakhs needed for her surgery. The appeal so moved Justin that he immediately mobilised a fund collection drive in the prison and together the prisoners raised Rs 29,000 for the surgery, in less than a week. The contribution was entirely voluntarily and ranged from Rs50 to Rs2000/ . Let us not forget that convicts earn Rs30 a day and may need this money when they are released.

The 200 odd inmates of the prison who contributed, have shown us by their act that the prison has not sapped them of their will to give, which is eternally present in all of us, and all one needs to do is to draw on it to bring some joy into our lives. As we march into the next few weeks culminating in the Joy of Giving Week, this is what we need to remember, that barriers are man made and imposed upon. So this should not be allowed to come in the way of our doing something that is inherent in us ; the Joy of Giving.

An Update

While this blog has been discussing the concept of the Joy of Giving Week and ‘giving’ in general, a lot of action is happening centering around the week. Sachin Tendulkar has been devoting a lot of his time, promoting the cause through various media. We are however unable to express the feelings his latest initiative has invoked in us. Sachin, has.committed himself to giving up a whole day, auctioning his time as it were, to the highest bidder, doing what he does best, playing cricket and coaching. The proceeds of this auction will go towards educating underprivileged children and what is more, he will also be doubling his contribution to the charity he supports. All we at the Joy of Giving Week team can do now is to ‘suspend our disbelief’ and rejoice for it is as if a thousand rainbows have descended down to earth.
http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_sachin-s-auctioning-his-time-penny-pinchers-not-welcome_1284420

Tendulkar is not the only celebrity to commit himself to the cause. There are others as well, all of whom are strongly in favour of promoting the ‘giving culture’ in India, Azim Premji, film stars Madhavan and Surya in the South, to name just a few. What is heartwarming however is the number of anonymous Indians who have come forward on Facebook, through e-mails, on Orkut, to support the cause : the RJ who promised to air jingles promoting the cause during her show, the office boy at ivolunteer, who is a part of the 7 Day Challenge (check out www.joyofgivingweek.org for details), the college students who are taking it up in their colleges, the home-maker who wrote in asking how she could be of help, are all strong indicators of how deeply this idea has taken root in the mind of the Indian.

Whether the will to continue ‘giving’ after the campaign stops is not something we can predict but we can state with conviction, going by the enthusiastic response generated, that the Joy of Giving Week is an idea, ‘whose time has come’.

Audacity of Hope

Nothing can describe the Joy of Giving Week better than the title of Obama’s book. The idea that people will respond overwhelmingly to the concept of giving seems to be naive, ambitious and audacious for it presupposes that we all want to share. Yet there is also within this the promise of a hope that we would be rewarded for this. That this is what is commonly believed is borne out by the fact that a majority of people will be participating in this unique ‘giving movement’.
What is it about the Joy of Giving Week that has attracted people from all parts of the country, from all walks of life, each of them commiting themselves to be a part of the giving week and working hard towards contributing for the same. Is it the publicity that is being given to it by the media ? Is it the endorsement by filmstars, sports persons and corporate bigwigs ? Is it the fact that the concept is novel and is being introduced for the first time in India ? Would the response go down if this were to be repeated year after year? Not really, if one were to judge by the number of people signing up to Run for a Cause in the Standard Chartered Marathon. The numbers go on increasing every year and we anticipate the same will hold true of the Joy of Giving week.

The answers are quite simple actually. A large part of the popularity of the Joy of Giving Week is because it is perceived as a national movement, and no one person can claim ownership, not even Give India that has launched this. Neither can any person impose conditions on how one should be contributing. Yes, there are people to help out with ideas and suggestions on the various ways one can contribute, (check out www.joyofgivingweek.org or follow Joy of Giving Week on Facebook, Twitter , Orkut or Ibibo for ideas) but ultimately it is up to the individuals, schools, colleges, or corporates to decide if they want to contribute and how. The enthusiasm generated by the Joy of Giving week, can be attributed in a large measure to its very inclusiveness; both in number and mode of participation; it excludes nobody, and it does not claim to advice, there is no right or wrong way of participation, it is absolutely unconditional and non-judgmental.

At a time when cynicism, consumerism and ambition seem to rule the day (we are not being judgmental here), the Joy of Giving week, comes as a reminder to us to go down to the basics and learn to share and give. It reminds us that the little that we have gets doubled when shared with others. It reminds us that nothing can be greater than giving, for giving, is a blessing.

A story of Giving

Summary
When the famous novelist Stephen King was in an accident, lying in a ditch, his views on giving underwent a change. The article below is about that.

“A couple of years ago I found out what "you can't take it with you" means. I found out while I was lying in a ditch at the side of a country road, covered with mud and blood and with the tibia of my right leg poking out the side of my jeans like a branch of a tree taken down in a thunderstorm. I had a MasterCard in my wallet, but when you're lying in a ditch with broken glass in your hair, no one accepts MasterCard.
...We come in naked and broke. We may be dressed when we go out, but we're just as broke. Warren Buffet? Going to go out broke. Bill Gates? Going out broke. Tom Hanks? Going out broke. Steve King? Broke. Not a crying dime.
All the money you earn, all the stocks you buy, all the mutual funds you trade—all of that is mostly smoke and mirrors. It's still going to be a quarter-past getting late whether you tell the time on a Timex or a Rolex....

So I want you to consider making your life one long gift to others. And why not? All you have is on loan, anyway. All that lasts is what you pass on....

Giving isn't about the receiver or the gift but the giver. It's for the giver. One doesn't open one's wallet to improve the world, although it's nice when that happens; one does it to improve one's self....
A life of giving—not just money, but time and spirit—repays. It helps us remember that we may be going out broke, but right now we're doing O.K. Right now we have the power to do great good for others and for ourselves.
So I ask you to begin giving, and to continue as you begin. I think you'll find in the end that you got far more than you ever had, and did more good than you ever dreamed"

Let us not wait for an accident to change our attitudes. Let us begin now.

Giving Is...

Giving is..

An offering, not a sacrifice
A commitment not apathy
Voluntary, not an obligation
Humility, not pride
A right and not charity
About sharing and not selfishness
Spontaneous and not calculated

Giving is about taking a stand
about standing up to be counted
about recapturing the lost innocence of childhood
aboutmaking a difference

Giving is divine
It is warmth
It is humane
It is happiness
It is a reward
It is joyous
The Joy of Giving

Towards Freedom

India is gearing up to celebrate Independence Day and usher in the festival season. This is that time of year, when our achievements as a country are faithfully recounted by the media, the time when we promise to redeem our pledge to become a developed nation and take pride in our status as a thriving democracy. This year, all this will take place under the shadow of the Swine Flu. But even as the threat of the H1N1 virus looms large, we forget that there are many other shadows that are invisible but yet are a reality to millions of Indians : poverty, child labour, illiteracy, displacement, malnutrition, domestic violence, physical, mental and sexual abuse, unemployment, ignorance and the list could go on. All these get enough attention both in the Indian the world media.

But do we pay enough attention to these?

We need to ask ourselves this as we prepare to go on a long weekend break or lament the closure of malls and theatres in some cities just when there are holidays. As we reach for our credit cards to pay for that dinner at a fancy restaurant , or the Gucci bag, or the trekking shoes the extra shirt that we don't really need, we need to pause and think about all those who probably have not eaten in days, about the farmer who continues to kill himself, about the children who are out of school; the shoe shine boys, the children at traffic signals, the child infected with AIDS through no fault of his / hers, about the disabled with no home, about the juveniles, about the abandoned elderly, about the women who sell their bodies for a meal, about the planet that we all share and the depths to which we allow her to be degraded. The list is endless.

And as we gratefully usher in another Independence Day, we can, individually and collectively choose to set free all those imprisoned by the shadows. Let us resolve to contribute our time, effort and money for a cause that demands it. Each of us, can do this and bring about a change where each Indian is able to develop his / her capabilities to the fullest. We owe it to our country, to our fellow beings and most important to ourselves, to give and to give freely.

Let that be our pledge this Independence Day, to individually and collectively experience the Joy of Giving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wdlV22mDNE&NR=1

Those who give to us, teach us to give….

How do we learn to give ? Is giving instinctive, or does it need to be taught ? Do we give of ourselves and what is ours, wholly and spontaneously like Nature ? Nature gives us all wholeheartedyl and unconsciously: the plants grow, the trees flower, the fruits ripen, the rivers flow, the minerals are there for our taking, the birds chirp and the butterflies flit spreading their beautiful wings. But we the human race, need to make a conscious effort to give. How do we learn to do so? Most of us are in spired by those around us who give to others happily .

They are people who we read about like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther king, Nelson Mandela, Medha Patkar, Bill Gates, Azim Premji, Aruna Roy and so many others, all, with a vision to bring about change, and with a drive to transform society. But there are also inumerable anonymous people who also give willingly their time, money and services. They are people like us, the taxidriver who ensures that a child reaches home during trouble in the city, the number of hands that are linked to form a human chain so that people can walk to safety in times of flooded streets, the hands that pull children out of a burning house, the donors who queue up to donate blood for complete strangers, the homemaker who spares her time to tutor her maid’s children ,doctors who give up their weekends to conduct health camps in villages, the student who signs up for volunteer work, the corporate executive who supports the CSR cell in his organisation, the anonymous donors who flood relief centres with cheques, clothes, utensils, blankets, medicines; all these people, are amongst the ‘Givers’ for they give wholeheartedly without any expectation of a reward, simply for the Joy of Giving. These are the people who commit their time, their money and their services to the many causes that demand it.

Aside: Do you know the word ‘give’ is used very often by schoolboys in the 10-12 age group. Puzzling ! Just spend some time in a classroom and observe the number of times a boy comes up and says, “Miss, he is giving me bad words.” Try asking him to show you the bad words, the reply would be ; “Miss, I can’t give them to you. My mummy will shout if I give bad words.”

Joy of Giving Week (Sept. 27th to Oct. 3rd 2009)

a child’s delighted laughter at a surprise gift
the smile on the face of an elderly relative at an unexpected visit
the blush on the cheeks of a woman when she receives a red rose
the deep sleep of those in an orphanage in warm clothes
the look of relief on the neighbours face while holding his hand outside an ICU
the tears of joy on the faces of the displaced when given a shelter
the gesture of thanks from the weary villager after giving him a lift
banishing silence from the hearing impaired’s life by donating a hearing aid
helping the impoverished lead lives of dignity by enabling them to earn a living
the musical chirping of the birds on the trees we have helped nurture

All of this is our reward, a reward that is a joy and one that has come our way because we have given, we have given our time, our money and shared freely our skills and services .
The happiness is a result of our giving voluntarily, because we want to give and that is why our reward is “twice blessed”, blessing both the giver and the receiver. It is because of this, that the act of giving needs to be celebrated universally for it is the one act that spreads universal happiness (Sarvaha Sukhinobavantu) Would we like to continue to experience this joy ? Of course. And how do we make it possible ? Simply by reaffirming our commitment to giving.

That is what the Joy of Giving Week is all about; a week long commitment to giving, to sharing with those we love and those in need, our time, our resources and our joy. September 27th to October 3rd, all of us in India, will come together to celebrate the Joy of Giving Week, a festival where we share and give, and measure our worth not by how many gifts we have received or how much we have spent on ourselves, but by how many lives we have touched in unexpected and pleasurable ways.

Why do we have the Joy of Giving week ? How do we give ? To whom do we give ? Why should we give ? What do we gain by giving? How do we get others to give? When do we give? How can we continue to give? Who is giving?
All these questions and more will be answered in the weeks to come as we build support for this wonderful initiative to spread immeasurable joy by giving. A story to inspire us:
A woman who was traveling alone in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveller who was hungry, the woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveller saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation..The traveler left, rejoicing in his great fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime.But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman."I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone."The woman smiled, "The joy of giving! (Author unknown)