The Joy of Giving Week

Year 3, Day 7, Oct. 8th

2011-10-08T07:30:00.000+05:30

Marriot Chennai, organised a fun evening for senior citizens from Sevalaya as a part of JGW. The seniors are seen above , a little astounded at their luck !!

On this the last day of the JGW 2011, we would like to thank all those who organised giving events, coordinated with others to organise events. We would like to thank all who chose to share and give. We are confident that the scale of participation and resource mobilisation would be the highest ever and we will in the days to come, begin to measure the success of the event.

All who participated in the JGW, have done so without any overt compulsion, and that to us makes the JGW a successful festival. We will be posting a few updates before we sign off to be back next year. A few images of Day 4 from Chennai's JGW are posted. The one occasion of the year when Chennai's autodrivers win hearts is during the Annadaanam they organise as their contribution to the JGW. They have been doing this since 2009 when the festival began. Marriot Chennai, organised a fun evening for senior citizens from Sevalaya.

Year 3, Day 6, Oct. 7th

2011-10-07T06:30:00.000+05:30

The Joy of Giving Week has been lucky to have good support from the media. Be it print or electronic, the media has been very enthusiastic in supporting the cause. Here is a link where we are featured on the front page. To be featured on the front pages is flattering as also humbling. This year there is a new initiative that we hope will take off and that is donating one's property to be used for the welfare of others. The media has focussed on this initiative and above is an article on that called 'My House is your House'. The above appeared in The Times of India.

This write-up in The Hindu sums up the events slated to be held in Chennai during JGW 2011. We at the JGW team are grateful to the media for partnering with us to take the message of spreading joy through giving, to as many as possible.

Year 3, Day 5, Oct. 6th

2011-10-06T06:44:00.001+05:30

This blog has explored various aspects of giving, but one area it has not touched on is how do we learn to give . Is it instinct, are we taught or do we unconsciously imbibe it from the environment ? I personally believe it is all the three. We do have a basic instinct to share and give and we are made aware of this when as children we are asked to share and then of course we follow the example of others around us.

My first impression of seeing someone give wholeheartedly goes back to when I was four years old. My brother, then six, and I attended the same school and would eat our lunch together, that was packed in a two container lunchbox, the bigger container for him and the smaller for me. One afternoon, I dropped my entire lunch on the school ground. My brother without hesitating, gave me the contents of his lunchbox and am ashamed to say that I ate it all without even offering him a little. His friends however were more generous than his sibling and saw to it that he did not go hungry. To this day, it remains my earliest and most vivid memory of childhood and my first lesson in giving.

Today is Vijaya Dasami , Dassera, the day considered to be very auspicious. New initiatives are begun today. In South India, schools remain open today for a few hours for students to study. Many take their first step towards learning today, whether school, or music or anything else they fancy. We wish that they progress and achieve success in all the new initiatives and that it brings them joy. Simultaneously, one hopes that all those children entering school for the first time with fear, apprehension, wonder, excitement, bewilderment, imbibe some necessary lessons in sharing and giving. As adults, it is our responsibility to lead by example. So let us contribute to a cause or to many and give collectively and experience joy, the Joy of Giving.

We end with an update from AArti, a committed volunteer, on events scheduled across Chennai today. She writes :

Kalvi Daanam - today is Vijaydasami - a day that marks the start of learning. 8-10 writers/journalists will be spending time with underprivileged children, giving them a start to learning, across 4-5 institutions in the city
Chennai is all set to get on the map for a very unique event :-). The longest ever eggless photo cake is being made and sold for charity at Express Avenue (this is one of the biggest malls in Chennai) , this evening between 5-6 PM. Every kg is being sold for rs 1500/- all proceeds will go to Mahesh Memorial Trust. The cake will be 100 meters long and will depict 75 years of Tamil cinema on the top (which will be made on edible paper). This is being done by French Loaf and Jayendra ( the person who made the lovely child with the lollipop JGW ad film) and who is a well know ad/film maker.
Signature dish continues at the Marriott
Inspector Rajalakshmi continues her training
Radio Mirchi will be doing a special JGW feature this morning with messages and interviews on the Joy of Giving Week, with people across the board - who are participating in the Joy of Giving Week in various ways. Tune in at 8 AM.

Enjoy the week ahead :-)

Year 3, Day 4, Oct. 5th

2011-10-05T16:54:00.001+05:30

On the fourth day of the JGW 2011, we copy below an appeal from Goonj, that is also spearheading the Vastra Samman campaign and has been doing so in the past also. The people of Sikkim and Orissa need help and rather than just donate just about anything, as we did during the Tsunami, it would be helpful to go through the requirements before donating. Meanwhile, in other news the JGW is doing much better than the previous years and we hope more are helped this year.

Mail from Goonj :

Some of the urgent requirements are-

Material- Tarpaulins, mosquito nets, Dry ration ( primarily-rice, pulses, biscuits ) blankets and woolens, clothes (especially sarees & bedsheets), cooking utensils, buckets, torch and batteries, umbrellas, basic medicines, crutches, candles and lanterns, feeding bottles, rope

. Also- Old flex banners, mats, sponsorship for sanitary pads.

Transport- to the effected areas, packing material- primarily gunny bags.

Monetary contributions- for logistics and essential purchases. (All monetary contributions are tax exempted u/s 80G) please click- http://goonj.org/?page_id=708 for the easiest option to transfer the money.

Join the campaign, do spread the word.. Use your face book, twitter, e-mail and websites to spread the message, volunteer- to organize camps, sort/ pack material and for the field.

Write back to mail@goonj.org or call 011-41401216 / 011-26972351. Please check http://goonj.org/?page_id=185 for the list of dropping centers in a few cities.

We will be updating the status on www.goonj.org and on face book

http://www.facebook.com/pages/GOONJ/150270596264 regularly.

Let’s do our bit!

Year 3, Day 3, October 4th

2011-10-04T18:32:00.001+05:30

The Week or the Giving ?

The mid-phase of the third year of JGW and we need to answer a question that is often asked of this pan-India festival, Is the week more important than the giving ? We have encountered cynicism before in connection with the JGW and our thoughts have been articulated in this post Cynicism and the Joy of Giving Week. Considering the immense response the week has received this year, (we have already crossed the number of registered events as compared to last year ), the question is worth examining again.

The Joy of Giving Week has its genesis in the premise that most of us do possess an inherent need to reach out and to share. However, caught up in the day to day routine life, we often forget or have no time to reach out to help. Rushed as we are, we often keep putting off all that we would like to do : clean the closet to give away what we no longer use, postpone the trip to the neighbouring NGO that runs a centre teaching underprivileged children where we would like to get involved, do not make time to help the sweeper or the maid or the watchman with their bank accounts or their child's education or accompany them to the doctor, forget to sign the cheque for a charitable hospital . All this because we procrastinate, or are not confident or simply do not know where to begin.

The JGW addressess issues like these. By participating in the various events organised in various parts of the country during JGW, we are being given an opportunity to fulfill our inner longings. We are being exposed to avenues of participation that we did not know existed. We are made aware of the organisations that need help. We get an idea about the inequities that exist. Most important, we become aware of the immense power each one of us has, to change the world by contributing. Perhaps the joy we receive by participating may spur us on to contribute throughout the year, our time, skills, resources. If that happens, we are happy to have made a positive contribution to your lives by encouraging you to participate in JGW.

But if you find yourselves unable to continue to give of your time, skills or resources throughout the year, then by participating during the JGW, you are still making a positive contribution. The JGW is then a sort of interlude before you go back to your hectic life. The JGW is a holiday by participating in which you could find yourself relaxed, happier and joyous. We still have four days to go. Come forward to participate in the JGW and give , for we need to remember that the edifice we seek to build needs pebbles as much as it does rocks.

Year 3, Day 2, Oct. 3rd

2011-10-03T17:29:00.000+05:30

The second day of JGW and .......

group of 15 children with Downs Syndrome will be serving food to beggars outside the Balaji temple in T Nagar.
2 medical camps have been planned - one in Vysarpadi and one in Pallavaram (both suburbs of Chennai)- at least 150 people will benefit and 3- 4 doctors have volunteered
Police kicks off its week long training for women on domestic abuse and recourse to action. Inspector Rajalakshmi will be handling this. A group of 30 -50 slum women will know at the end of her session today as to what to do when faced with the challenge
Cleaning of govt. hospital kicks off in Thiruvanamalai - 10-15 volunteers + govt. staff will be working together on this.

The second day of JGW and the Blind Peoples Association has begun to conduct cataract surgeries free of cost in the slums of Ahemdabad. This initiative will run for a week.

The second day of JGW and a number of events have already been held and many more are slated to be held. The Akanksha Carnival is on in Mumbai, a literacy campaign has kicked off, there are awareness programmes for domestic violence, health, the environment. A lot of enquiries about the Vastrasamman campaign of Goonj.

If you have not already contributed to the week, it is not too late to do so. The JGW runs till 8th October. So come forward to spread joy by giving, the Joy of Giving,

Year 3, Day 1, Oct. 2nd

2011-10-02T09:48:00.001+05:30

On the first day of JGW 2011, copying below mails from 2 core volunteers of JGW since inception. They write about the first day of the Joy of Giving Week.

Really excited about the Joy of Giving Week in Chennai- kicking off this morning at Central station with the first event of JGW - Aram seiyu Virumbu (desire to do the 'right' thing), a 7 day festival organised by CIOSA. Today's theme is Yadum oore, Yaavarum Kelir ( roughly translated- everyone is my friend/relative, every place is like my own). A group of 30 volunteers will be putting up an information booth at the station providing people from outside who arrive today in the city with info on Chennai, transport, facilities around etc. We will also be tying a friendship band as a welcome gesture. Hope to reach out to 1000's of people by this evening who will never want to get back from Chennai :-)

Those in Chennai- do drop by, if you can :-). We will be there in the space between platform 5 and 6 from 9 30 AM .

Aarti

and the next mail from Venkat.

Here's wishing everyone a Very Joyful Week of Giving :-)!

A bunch of cyclists doing between 10-142km launched the Week exactly at midnight, using "human energy" to light lamps around Gandhiji's statue in Hyderabad (142nd birthday explains the 142km). By the time you see this mail, more than 10 "giving events" would have already happened across India. Design For Change launches a book with Amar Chitra Katha today, featuring stories of school children who in the last 3 years of participating in JGW, have shown "I can!". A walk, bike rally and a 'blind photography exhibition' in Mumbai. We have almost 100 events scheduled for the day across India today, 400 over the Week already (v/s 280 last year).

With such a great beginning, the JGW can only get better as the week goes by.

We the people of India shall........

2011-10-01T17:35:00.001+05:30

All Aboard

2011-09-29T21:25:00.000+05:30

The varied nature of events at the current JGW due to begin on Sunday, is astounding. It is also heartening to note that the nature of events is slowly moving away from an act of charity to one of philantropy. The difference between charity and philantropy can be found in this earlier post. The Crafts Mela to showcase products made by NGOs, the Karmayog Seva Mela and the Awareness programme on Women's Rights, both events at Hyderabad are proof that the focus of the JGW is not just charity. We at JGW claim no credit for this change. But we are nevertheless pleased to have contributed to the climate of giving in the country and as we have been saying repeatedly, humbled that our small initiative has caught the collective imagination of many and has begun to be embraced as a personal event, an event to be marked in their calendar and celebrated in a fitting manner. Two major factors that contribute to the success of this festival are : the all inclusive nature of the festival and secondly, the positive atmosphere the JGW evokes in a climate of cynicism and hopelessness. In 2009, the JGW was celebrated in an atmosphere of despondency when Swine Flu had its grip across India. 2010 saw the JGW being welcomed soon after the uncertainty caused by the Ayodhya judgment and the series of scams that accompanied the Commonwealth Games. This year, the anger at the large scale corruption in the 2G scam is still widespread. Amidst all this, comes the JGW that invites us to do nothing except give : a smile, a hand, some time, a little money and our hearts. Let us embark on our journey of giving and learn to feel the joy, the Joy of giving

308 and Counting

2011-09-28T19:12:00.001+05:30

Only three more days and the third chapter of JGW will begin and we have 308 events registered on our website already. The number of events this year will definitely surpass that of last year. Some events are old but many are new and we delight to note that many more individuals are coming forward to organise events. This is important and it has been our refrain that when each one of us stands up to be counted, we can make a difference. We need to believe that our contribution to spreading joy by giving, however insignificant it may seem to us is one of the many seemingly insignificant acts, all of which collectively lead to change.

When the idea of JGW was first mooted, one wonders whether those initiating the idea had themselves visualised the extent of support. That support for the JGW has been immense is undeniable. The media, the celebrity, the government, the men, women and children all over India, in a tearing hurry to get on with their lives, have all begun to pause, they have begun to think about how they can contribute to the lives of others meaningfully and it is humbling to note that many feel that participating in the JGW will enable them to enrich the lives of others. And so we declare 308 and still counting........

Joy of giving Week, 2nd to 8th October

a week long affair

2011-09-26T20:45:00.000+05:30

The 2011 chapter of JGW begins on Sunday and will last for a week. As the week approaches, more and more Indians have begun their own private affair with the week, individually or collectively. We have in earlier posts, focussed on how some individuals plan to celebrate the week. There is also plenty of media attention paid to corporates and institutions on their plans to celebrate the JGW. Housing societies are not lagging behind either and have in the past contributed tremendously to the success of the week and hope to do so this year also : recycling, donating, volunteering, are just a few of the activities the members of housing societies plan to indulge in. The societies have found a great way to mingle fun with charity by planning myriad activities during the JGW. A sample is reflected in the poster designed by Sterling Society.

a taste of the week

2011-09-21T14:12:00.000+05:30

10 days to go for JGW 2011 and the participation can only get better. The media as usual, has begun to embrace the JGW as a personal mission and is committed to portraying on its pages or channels, this story of positive change. this link from the Hindustan Times and then this from the TOI seek to create awareness about the JGW across India.

The Power of One

2011-09-12T19:06:00.000+05:30

Very often, we tend to forget that even a single person can make a difference. Amongst those who bear testimony to this today is Irom Sharmila, who has been fasting for years, to protest against the Armed Forces Special Act, in Manipur. Her fast gets a mention in the papers off and on and she is force fed. More recently, her silent protest out of the public eye, was given attention because it was linked to the fast undertaken by Anna Hazare who has begun a crusade against corruption. Aung Suu Kyi, the Burmese leader, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, are all icons who exemplify the ability of an individual to capture the imagination of millions and with their silent non-violent protest, emerge victorious. All of them of course owe a debt to Mahatma Gandhi for showing them the way to victory through peaceful means.

That is the reason the JGW is held to coincide with Gandhi Jayanthi. By participating individually in acts of giving, we can make a collective and positive difference to society. A single individual has the power to influence millions. Each one of us can harness the power we possess to change ourselves and by extension the world for the better. Let us resolve to do that during JGW 2011. The power of one can be transformed into the power of many. Let us discover within ourselves the power of one.

JGW and Creativity

2011-09-08T18:49:00.000+05:30

Innovation is a word that can be increasingly associated with the JGW. Not only is the concept new in India, but the creative manner in which it is sought to be celebrated all over India by ordinary men and women, takes the concept of JGW to a new level. As all festivals go, the JGW also involves a lot of food and eating but with a difference : food is either donated ( the Annadaanam by the auto drivers in Chennai) or food is sold to raise resources for organisations working for social causes: the Battle of the Buffet, creating new dishes especially for the week, restaurants setting aside specific tables, revenue from these going to social causes ('While you were Eating', to be held in Bengaluru this year being an example of this).

Creativity comes through in celebrity participation also : from auctioning their time, walking the ramp, this year they will also auction some of their memorabilia. 8 leading CEOs come forward to literally sing for, well , others' supper, by donating the proceeds from the sale of their special cd for the JGW, to a charity of their choice.

Creative posters designed by those who are participating ( see the visual in the previous post ) motivates one to participate. Sterling Terrace is a housing society that has a beautifully designed poster which deserves a post of its own. Yet another innovative way in which 3 Frenchmen and an Indian plan to celebrate the week is by riding their Enfield from Bengaluru to Paris to raise money for Baale Mane, a home for underprivileged girls. To read more about this, click here, Combining fun with charity is always welcome.

Creativity in the JGW is best exemplified in the Design for Change contest, where children design innovative solutions to problems in the community. The DFC as it is popularly known, recently won a prestigious design award.

What are we then waiting for ? How many ways can we give ? To find out, simply visit our website and celebrate the Joy of Giving Week.

plan the good.....

2011-09-05T18:53:00.002+05:30

The image says it all ! What are we waiting for ? Let us plan to participate meaningfully in the Joy of Giving Week 2011, less than a month away. To inspire more to participate, all we need to do is register our event . If we are stuck for ideas, all we need to do is call, mail or take time off to look at the JGW website. Ways of participation are numerous. All we need is the inclination. Giving has never been this easy. Begin to list out all the ways you can give and help spread joy. The Joy of Giving Week, 2011

the measure of a man

2011-09-02T19:19:00.004+05:30

the measure of a man lies not in how long he lives, but in how much he gives

the measure of a man lies not in how big is his house, but in how generous is his heart

the measure of a man lies not in how many people he knows, but in how many friends he has

the measure of a man lies not in how much knowledge he has, but in how much he shares

the measure of a man lies in the tears he wipes, the smiles he brings and the joy he spreads

Let us measure our worth during the Joy of Giving Week 2011. October 2nd to October 8th. Stand up and be counted. The measure of a man.....

The Third Coming

2011-08-26T17:34:00.001+05:30

This year marks the third chapter of the JGW, a festival of philantropy in which all can participate. In these three years, the JGW has made great strides and is well on the way to turning into a national festival. Some of the events like Design for Change is now seeing participation from beyond the boundaries of India. But certain fundamental questions continue to be asked about the JGW : Is the week more important than the giving ?, is one such question that is often asked. To be very honest, at some level, yes, the week is important for after all the Joy of Giving is celebrated during a week that is earmarked in advance. But this does not mean that giving is secondary for what is of primary importance are the giving events that take place during the week. Can these giving events not take place before or after the week ? Of course they can and they must, but by devoting a week to giving, we are effectively raising the collective consciousness of the people to charity and philantropy. To illustrate : The movement against corruption has seen unprecedented support because of the collective disgust aroused by large scale looting. A time has come when we the people are no longer prepared to put up with corruption and the apathetic attitude of the government to it. Hence massive support for the Anna Hazare led team. We at JGW are similarly trying to drum support for the JGW by pointing out that by simply indulging in an act of giving, we transform lives. If we want to transform society as a whole, then all of us must consciously indulge in acts of charity. That is why the JGW and that is the reason the week is more important than the giving. Oct 2nd to Oct 8th 2011, marks the third chapter of JGW and we at the JGW team hope to raise the bar higher this year, in terms of number of events held, amount of resources raised and most important number of lives positively affected and though there is no way to measure the joy that will spread during the week, we are confident that there will be a lot of joy. The Joy of Giving Week.

of men and letters

2011-08-24T18:26:00.007+05:30

Endorsements for JGW 2011 have begun to come in from many sources and this year, the Chief Ministers of 3 important states have written appreciating the JGW and exhorting citizens to participate wholeheartedly and willingly in 'giving activities' during JGW '11. As Mr.Narendra Modi says, " The joy, the cheer, the bliss we attain through sharing can encourage us to bring a smile on the face we face." Mr.Chavan, the CM of Maharashtra, is encouraged that the JGW is organised by socially minded citizens and he is confident that "such voluntarily organised social functions will help society to strtengthen the bond of love and togetherness."

of forgiveness and friendship......

2011-08-15T01:00:00.000+05:30

The Hindu : Today's Paper News : A tale of two letters

On this, our 64th Independence Day, comes a story of regret, forgiveness and friendship. As countries continue to battle, as communities continue to mistrust and religious identities are more marked than ever before, this story of a Pakistani army personnel expressing regret for an incident that occured in the line of duty 46 years ago, is proof that empathy is all it takes to break barriers that seem insurmountable. The words of regret poignantly expressed forms a beginning of a new friendship. People reaching out to other people, irrespective of the colour of the skin, irrespective of the flag they owe allegiance to, irrespective of the God they worship and the homes they live in, is absolutely essential for us to live in a safe, peaceful and more equal world. The Joy of Giving Week is an endeavour that seeks to heal wounds between people and communities for it has as its genesis a hand extended to help and hold other hands, spreading security and by extension freedom from fear thus forming an unbroken link in society. The Joy of Giving Week 2011.

The Times We Live In

2011-08-10T11:45:00.003+05:30

'Greed' is a single word that defines the world today. It is greed that causes people to amass an obscene amount of wealth,; it is greed that leads to looting; it is greed that has people fighting over property : most of the ill conceived and negative acts in the world today, have greed as their root cause. It would be hypocritical of us to assume a holier than thou attitude because most of us enjoy our comforts and luxuries and feel they are well deserved. We have no arguments on that. But it is essential to define our boundaries and say to ourselves, "I have enough". One wonders how many of us are really able to do that. If one were to go by newspapers, not many because all are in a mad rush to buy, to accumulate, to hold. It is as if we seek security in our material possessions. But does our car, our house, our accessories define who we are, or are we more than these ? Do we want to be remembered as the person with the 27 room house, a fleet of cars, the one who holidays abroad twice a year, the one who is dripping with jewellery, the one who carries expensive accessories or would we like to be remembered as the person who gave of himself/herself generously, who gave time, who gave love, who gave possessions, who gave money, as one who did all in his/her power to make the world a better place ?

We need to ask ourselves these questions and answer them honestly as we step closer into the Joy of Giving Week 2011. As we introspect and seek answers, we would do well to remember that in these answers lie the key to a better life for many. When each one of us empowers those who need to be empowered by giving of ours and ourselves generously and wholeheartedly, the world will automatically be transformed into a more egalitarian and less volatile one. That this is within the realm of possibility, is beautifully illustrated by this story from across the Atlantic :

The Power of Half : if all of us can decide to give away if not half, at least some of our possessions, in our lifetime, we would have contributed in a small measure to healing the world. Let us begin now, during the JGW 2011, between the 2nd and the 8th of October.

from a small seed....

2011-08-04T18:02:00.004+05:30

Children, have been amongst those who have embraced the JGW, transforming it into a festival of change; one that is positive, deeply impacting and hopefully permanent. We have seen this in the increasing participation in the Design for Change contest that is into its third chapter this year. Participation in DFC has extended beyond the boundaries of our country and has stepped into practically every continent on the globe. The DFC encourages children to look at problems within the community and also find solutions to them. It envisages children as keepers of the world by making children responsible for identifying problems and solutions. Hopefully, the thousands of children who have participated and will participate in the DFC, will continue to remain sensitive to the needs of our world and will continue to question the inequalities and anomalies that exist in the world and find answers to the same.

This JGW update from Ondikuppam, Koppur and Arunvoyel, all villages in Tamil Nadu, bears testimony to the above. The children from Arunvoyel who had participated in JGW 2010, had also managed to raise Rs2000, which they are using to buy books for children in the village. This year, the children of all the 3 villages hope to participate through various initiatives ranging from setting up a garbage segregation unit to provide manure for the kitchen gardens in the village to raising funds to buy a goat for the poorest family in the village. What is also heartening is the vision of these children to make the positive changes in the village more permanent by discussing 'issues of social concern affecting the village', with the adults.

From such small seeds do mighty trees grow and the JGW that began as an abstract idea is growing, spreading its branches across the world, permeating the air with joy. The Joy of Giving

Walk the Talk

2011-07-31T21:08:00.007+05:30

Todays Indian Express, carries a write-up on Mr.Iyer, termed a 'Waste Wizard', for his extraordinary ability to convert waste into items of utility. Not very unusual in that most would think, for there are many who do that. What is unusual about Mr.Iyer, is that he has been doing this for more than 3 decades, much before recycling became a popular and politically correct way of life. Today we talk of the need to reduce carbon footprints but Mr.Iyer, seems to have recognised this need much earlier, for he has only been using a bicycle for almost 50years. What is more, his cycle is also made of recycled material and usually displays a socially relevant message, in order to make us ponder and change. For those who would like to read more about him, here is the link

The JGW, less than 2 months away is a time when all of us can emulate the social consciousness of those who like Mr.Iyer, literally walk the extra mile to contribute to society. Those who find it difficult to organise an event of their own, can participate in one of the many events being organised all over India. To find out the various events all one needs to do is visit our website. The site also has ideas on how individuals can contribute. There is giving and receiving amongst all age groups and across society. We would like all of you to participate in any manner you see fit to make this pan India festival a success for that will truly bring about a positive change. Let us together, 'Walk the Talk' for a t least a week between the 2nd and 8th of October and turn it into a truly joyous week. The Joy of Giving Week.

An Update

2011-07-24T17:54:00.010+05:30

It has been a while since the last post, welcoming you all to JGW 2011. Work on the third chapter of JGW has been going on quietly and systematically. The website of the JGW has been updated and is now more user friendly. Besides giving us an update of all the events held across India during JGW 2010, the site also makes it easier to register an event for the current year.

22 events have already been registered at the time of writing this. The old favourites, Design for Change, Vastrasamman, Home of Joy, Shadow a CEO are back this year as are many new events all of which promise to spread sweetness and joy. Sumi, has decided to literally spread sweetness on the 1st and 2nd of October, as she plans to make, buy gulab jamuns and distribute them to the underprivileged. Those who would like to be a part of this event can contact her through the JGW website. You could pledge to save this planet by expressing your solidarity with Shoobh, that aims to run an awareness campaign on forests for about 3 months from the 1st of October. There is an event for each of us, a cause each one of us can identify with and a need each one of us can cater to and fulfil.

Amongst the innovative initiatives this year is a deck of playing cards that makes it so easy for us to give, all we need to do is follow 3 simple steps : shuffle, pick and give. By so doing, you help spread joy, the Joy of Giving. To spread joy, all you need to do is click here

Welcome JGW 2011

2011-05-11T09:17:00.013+05:30

Giving has suddenly become very fashionable. Charity and philantropy arethe new 'buzz' words, and a lot of attention is being paid to individuals and institutions practicing charity. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates embarked on an initiative to get the wealthiest in USA to pledge a part if not all of their wealth to charity and have succeeded in their efforts. Similar attempts are being made in India as well and the corporate world has moved from focussing merely on CSR to actually setting up what can be termed 'institutions of philantropy', the Azim Premji Foundation, being a good example of this.
We do hope that the wealthy give back to society in large numbers and are confident that the world will be benefitted by this but what we would like to see are more conscious initiatives by each one of us to give to those in need of help. Each one of us needs to participate in the act of giving, because the world is made up of individuals and a lasting change can only come about if we reach out to others as human beings and what better way to do this than by holding a hand out to help.

In this introductory post to the Joy of Giving Week 2011, we exhort you to come forward and participate in greater numbers by trying to re-connect with the people who make up the world we live in. Join the great numbers who have made the JGW their personal festival and celebrate the JGW 2011 between the 2nd and the 8th of October. To remind ourselves of what giving is, here is a link to an older post:

Such a Long Journey

2010-10-18T17:06:00.003+05:30

It has been such a long journey for all the atheletes who participated in the Common Wealth Games, especially for those coming from humble backgrounds and from places with minimal or zero facilities. To have won medals in the face of discouragement, social ostraticism and lack of official support is not just an outstanding feat, but a glorious one. They are the ones to have truly contributed to the glory of sport and honour of men.

It has been such a long journey for Mukesh Ambani, from a chawl in Bhuleshwar to the most expensive home in India and amongst the most expensive homes in the world.

It is a long journey for all those who pour into our cities day after day, in search of a better and more dignified life, for all those who stand guard at our borders, for those who build our roads, clean our gutters, man our public places, for all those who are mothers and fathers and grandparents, and uncles and aunts and cousins and friends, for all those who are caretakers of the future generation and of this our earth, for all those who have the courage to dare and to dream and all of us have to remember to tread softly or we may tread on someone's dreams, and when dreams are lost, nothing remains.

It is such a long journey for the Joy of Giving Week, from an idea in the mind to an act in the lives of many. Like those who came before us and hopefully like those who will come after us, we also have had the courage to dare and to dream.

I have promises to keep/ And miles to go before I sleep/ And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost's lines from Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, best describes the journey the Joy of Giving Week still has ahead of it. We have just hosted the JGW for 2 years and as we have been repeatedly saying, it is still too early to gauge its impact. Participation and resource mobilisation have both increased this year, compared to last year, but we do not know whether the motivation to sustain the giving has been kindled. The giving has to endure, not just this year or for just the week, but for as long as we exist. When that happens, then we at the JGW team can rest because we would have reached our journey's end.

Meanwhile, we say goodbye for now and will be back next year. It is such a long journey........

Step by Step

2010-10-12T17:50:00.005+05:30

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and so it is with the Joy of Giving Week. For a festival that is independent of any religion, social custom, culture or ritual, the JGW seems to have earned itself a place in the calendar of festivals in India. This is not an idle boast for the JGW has been successful this year too. But of course we are also aware that it is still too early to gauge the success of the JGW, for we have just co-ordinated the giving week twice. The JGW is therefore still in its infancy and has a long journey to make, but we are determined to make the journey step by step.

That we have begun to make bigger strides is evident in this year's participation in the JGW which saw more than 500 events, spread over 70 cities and towns, (with even rural areas participating), raise over 20crore in cash and kind. Participants have also found numerous ways of giving and have volunteered, fundraised, created awareness for a cause, donated, collected resources and have generally spread the word around with enthusiasm, determination and more importantly with conviction. This last is important for unless one is convinced that there is a purpose to the JGW, participation is rendered meaningless because it cannot be sustained, and the years to come may see dwindling interest. So the challenge before us is to ensure that the motivation to give is encouraged.

You can help us in our mission of drawing more to our cause and sustain the JGW by sharing with us your 'giving' experiences. Your story may prompt someone to introspect and discover a value in giving. Your story may help someone emulate it and in the process discover a so far unfelt joy. Your story may inspire someone to script a better one for self and others. Your story may be the one that helps transform us into gentler, simpler, more humane and thus more joyous beings. So do share your JGW stories with us and join us as we continue our journey, step by step. Write to us at updates@joyofgivingweek.org

The Verdict

2010-10-06T18:03:00.002+05:30

No, this post is not about Ayodhya, though one could be forgiven for thinking it to be. Neither is this about the CWG and its successful opening ceremony. The verdict we are talking about is that delivered by 'we the people' about the Joy of Giving Week, and the verdict is that the JGW is a festival that has come to stay. 'Giving' seems to have permeated into our conscious thoughts in such a complete manner that participation and by extension resource mobilisation has far surpassed last year's and exceeded our expectation. Updates on the actual number of events held, the amount of resources collected, the break-up in terms of kinds of resources, the manner of participation, the places which saw more involvement etc will all be analysed and written about shortly.

But for now we would like to say a thank you to all those who made a successful JGW possible. The celebrities get written about and thanked profusely in public for their contribution. But the fact is that the Joy of Giving Week would lose its impact and would be rendered meaningless unless it is adopted by a large number of citizens. We have been able to attract the common man to our cause and by wholehearted participation, the people have shown that the JGW belongs to each one of us and it is our involvement that has made a difference. So thank you to each one of you for holding out a hand to help, to support, to inspire, to share, to give.

Year 2, Day 7, Oct. 2nd

2010-10-02T17:41:00.003+05:30

The last day of the Joy of Giving Week and even as one writes this, events are still being held across the country to conclude this week of giving. Updates on the auction for Lunch with Amitabh Bachchan, resources raised during the Styles for Smiles to be held later this evening, will be posted in the coming days. In the meantime, it is worth asking ourselves how our participation has made a difference to us and to society as a whole. We at the JGW team really do not know what your experiences have been and more important whether these experiences of giving have left behind an impression either positive or otherwise. Introspection is necessary because it will determine not only your participation in further editions of JGW, but will also influence partly the path you choose to follow. Are you going to continue to give because you think that is the only way forward towards a fair society or will you revert to a consumerist and selfish culture so common today ?

The birthday of one of the greatest men to have ever walked this earth is a good time to remind ourselves that a single step can and has shaped history. The Dandi March with a handful of salt, Rosa Parks refusing to vacate her seat for a white person in a bus, the Boston Tea Party, are all immensely significant in determining the future of men and nations.

In this context, we believe that the Joy of Giving Week is but a small step but has the potential to change our world. Charity and philantropy are no longer mere words but a part of our waking thoughts. A single act of giving every day will surely turn us into happier individuals and when that happens, we are more than ever ready to face challenges thrown up at us and that in turn will lead to a stronger, more equitable and sustainable society. To enable such a society to come into existence, we all need to contribute and what better way to do it than by participating in the Joy of Giving Week.

Year 2, Day 6, Oct. 1st

2010-10-01T16:38:00.003+05:30

Day 6 of the Joy of Giving Week and the week is unprecedently successful. Total collections have surpassed that of last year and are still expected to go up. With over 400 registered events and participation from all corners of the country, the JGW is well on its way to turning into a truly national festival. What better way to remember Gandhiji than to live the values he espoused.

Mumbai played host to the Treasure Trove yesterday, while Chennai had the Battle of the Buffet and the resources raised between them has been substantial.

While major corporate events do attract publicity, it is the small contributions made by individuals in their private capacity that really transforms the JGW into a festival for all. We have one such story today where Sankool Shah from Capgemini, has decided to cycle 40km to work during the JGW and donate the money saved to charity. A passionate advocate of an unpolluted environment, Sankool believes that each one of us needs to do our bit for protecting our earth.

Then we have the story of Pragya who has asked family and friends to set aside Rs10 each time they eat out and this money would then be donated. The money people like Pragya and Sankool raise may not even run into thousands, but let us not forget that the thought behind is what counts. Ultimately what will change our world are efforts like these. By considering no contribution too small or no effort as too insignificant, we are bringing about a change, a change for the better that we hope will help us turn into a more equal society. For those who have yet to make a beginning, we say, start now, in this the Joy of Giving Week.

Year 2, Day 5, Sept. 30th

2010-09-30T18:39:00.004+05:30

The last three days of the Joy of giving Week 2010 and we bring to you an update from Jamshedpur, from the Head of a Nursery School called Baug-e-Jamshed. Mrs.Dotivalla, the Principal of the school thankfully believes in inculcating the right values at a young age. So, her school catering to 3 to 5 year olds decided to celebrate the JGW with activities like Collage Making Day, Reading Day, Joy with Dance and Musicetc. The school has also organised a clothes collection drie. These children will, we are sure, grow up to be caring and empathetic individuals. A thank you to Mrs.Dotivalla.

In Chennai today, patrons are getting ready for the big battle, the Battle of the Buffet. Restaurants across the city have tied up with generous donors vying for well cooked dishes. A wonderful way to raise resources while satisfying one's palate.

Meanwhile Bangalore has seen events for children, a focus on health with Pranic Healing, eye check ups, yoga, newspaper collection drive to name just a few.

From Pune comes this update from Opus Software that is celebrating the JGW across its offices with various activities. They are organizing Vastradaan, Annadaan hai Mahadaan and Buy for a Cause campaigns in the ‘Joy of Giving Week’ at their corporate office in Pune. They will also organize the Vastradaan and Annadaan hai Mahadaan campaigns in their Mumbai and Chennai offices. The employees of the organization will donate clothes for the Vastradaan campaign on September 28th and foodgrains for the Annadaan hai Mahadaan campaign on September 29th.

Makemytrip continues with its JGW initiative begun last year with its aim of reducing carbon footprints.

We would like to end with a story from TAPMI where students celebrated JGW with activities for children from an orphanage. As Shweta a team member of the Social Endeavour Group says, "It is an enriching experience to have the children from Balaniketan here and with their presence the campus took on a new colour."
We fervently hope the JGW adds colours to our lives and in the lives of those we share our time, resources and skills with. We could all do with a lot more colour and joy in our lives. So share and spread joy in this the the Joy of Giving Week

Year 2, Day 4, Sept. 29th

2010-09-29T17:03:00.006+05:30

Midway through the second year of the Joy of Giving Week, and we at the JGW team find ourselves unable to express our thanks for the wonderful response our appeals to give have generated. We have been receiving regular updates from all over and we will write about them at a later point in time. Meanwhile a fundraiser in aid of Jai Vakeel School for Children in need of Special Care, called Treasure Trove, was held today at the Taj.

"Treasure Trove is a charity auction of a mixed bag of art/ fashion/ Jewellery/ collectibles and memorabilia – each of which has an intrinsic worth. The idea of mixing all kinds of premium luxury goods at the auction is, that everybody present has a chance to contribute while taking home an object they desire. " We are confident that the fund raised would be substantial.

One of the amazing facets of the JGW is the manner in which it takes care of all sections of society and all age groups and in all areas. So we have resource mobilisation for marginalised children, a Grain Bank for all, fund collection for health related issues like Alzheimers disease, awareness creation about organ donation, helping develop soft skills in skilled and semi skilled workers, events for senior citizens, and we could go on and on for people have chosen to give in numerous ways.

A major surprise in the JGW and one we must admit we did not really anticipate is the link established between the common citizen, the corporate and the government. In fact the response of givernment officials to the JGW is really encouraging. Last year forest officials got together with villagers to plant saplings in Maharashtra and this year police officials in Chennai have come forward with a three point agenda to help the general public. ACP (law and order), Mohammad Shakeel Akhter from Chennai spelt out this agenda when he said " We have a 3 point agenda for Joy of Giving Week. Senior citizens should be respected, women should be empowered and the gap between the police and general public bridged." To carry forward their ideas, they have drawn upon college students, NGO volunteers, IT professionals as 'ambassadors' to convey their ideas. Change as we have always claimed, can be brought about at all levels by thinking and acting positively.
The auction for a lunch date with the Big B is going strong and we will update you on that in the coming days. Meanwhile mail us your 'giving' stories at updates@joyofgivingweek.org

Year 2, Day 3, Sept. 28th, A Child's World

2010-09-28T17:48:00.005+05:30

The third day of second edition of the Joy of Giving Week and the nation is apprehensive about the post Ayodhya verdict reaction. It is worrying to hear school children talk of trouble that will follow the verdict and voice the opinion of the significant adults in their environment, about 'these people and those people'. How we wish that children could retain their innocence, that children could learn to live together, be free of and from violence, not be exposed to abuse of any sort, above all learn to believe that each one of us is an equal human and therefore have the same basic desire to be loved unconditionally and to belong. When one hears children talk today, it is evident that very few understand this and that most of them live in fear.

Fear dominates the minds of most children. They are frightened because they have not done their homework, because they have broken something, because the bully at school harasses them, because the uncle/ aunty down the road is abusing them, because the Seth or Malik is beating them, the policeman drives them away and because all these demons visit them at night, turning their lives into a living nightmare. When children are troubled like this, then the world they live in is not safe for them.

What exactly does a safe world mean? It is a world that respects the dignity of our children. It is a world where discrimination and abuse are unknown. It is a world where children feel secure, loved and accepted; a world where children have the right to remain children and are not drawn into adult responsibilities and games at childhood often against their will; a world where every child that is born has a right to a childhood that is peaceful and secure; a right to play and leisure; a right to an education; to freedom from fear; a world where each child has a right to hope and dream and children should never have to face a world that does not promise them the above.

What does all this have to do with the Joy of Giving Week one may ask and the answer to that is everything. Our participation in the JGW should not be undertaken merely to raise resources, but should help us to change our attitudes towards others, whether less fortunate or otherwise. The empathy that we hope accompanies each act of giving is what will ultimately help transform us into better human beings. When this happens, the change will filter down to our children and through them, our society will change into a safe and humane one. Come forward to participate in the JGW and help this change to happen .

Year 2, Day 2, Sept. 27th

2010-09-27T16:52:00.012+05:30

Day 2 of the Joy of Giving Week and the response has been phenomenal. Over 40 registered events organised on Day 1 and we are unaware of the many 'giving' events that may have been held but have not been registered. We have already begun to receive updates from those who had their events yesterday, including an update about events and a health check-up organised for senior citizens living in an old age home in Ahmedabad.

Day 2 of the JGW and the auction on ebay India for a gym session with Salman Khan registered a highest bid of around three and a half lakhs.

Day 2 and the auction on ebayIndia for breakfast with Akshay Kumar has already crossed three and a half lakhs.

Day 2 of the JGW and we received a wonderful surprise when one of the most popular and best loved Indian and an icon for two generations, Mr.Amitabh Bachchan, decided to literally give of himself and has offered to have lunch with upto 10 people and spend around 2 hours with them, in candid talk. This is phenomenal because this is the first time he has ever agreed to do something like this. This is a tremendous opportunity for his fans to take advantage of and start bidding for his time. The bidding begins this evening at 5:00p.m. and ends on the 2nd of October. Please spread the word around and let us pray that we are able to raise a lot of funds through this because the fund goes to charity, as does the fund collected in the training session with Salman Khan and breakfast with Akshay Kumar.

Do write in with your updates to tell us how your event was held and more important, how did you feel at the end of it. Share your joy with us, the Joy of Giving Week. Write to us at updates@joyofgivingweek.org

Year 2, Day 1, 26th Sept.

2010-09-26T16:40:00.004+05:30

The first day of the JGW today and even as one writes this, there are many 'giving' events that have already taken place and many will happen this evening and for the next 6 days. The response has been overwhelming. Certain 'giving activities' are being repeated this year because of the tremendous impact they had last year and the resources such activities raised. Battle of the Buffet, Shadow a CEO, Udayan's Home of Joy, Joyfest, Vastrasamman, Styles for Smiles are some of the better known events. But there are so many more innovative ways that have been designed for one to give. 314 events at the time of writing this.

We would like to reassure those who think that the JGW is about contributing big money, that it is not so. It is all about the small pebbles that together add up. So no contribution is too small. In fact, one could raise money by sharing one's time and skills and contribute that to charity. This is possible by being a part of the Dreamathon, a new event that has been designed to help raise money by living one's dream. Can it get better than that !!

Bitterness, envy, greed, seem to rule our lives and that needs to change if we are to live in content. With 6 days more to go for the JGW to come to an end, let us come together and pledge our time, skills and resources to create a better opportunities for the marginalised and a better land for ourselves. When each one of us contributes individually towards this, the effort becomes a collective one and results are soon visible. There are many such efforts undertaken during the JGW but we sign off with a story about Prof.Sandeep Desai who used to teach at SP Jain College of Management, Mumbai, who has managed to raise rupees 4 lakhs for a school in Ratnagari by asking commuters on the Churchgate-Borivili locals in Mumbai to contribute. As he says, "The response has been great." We need more such stories to uplift our spirits and galvanise us into action. The Joy of Giving Week, 2010.

and we thank....

2010-09-25T10:32:00.006+05:30

The second chapter of the Joy of Giving Week begins tomorrow and signs of the festival surpassing last years collection and participation are already visible. 296 registered events at the time of writing this. It brings us joy ! But none of this would have been possible without the wholehearted and voluntary participation of thousands of both well known and anonymous men, women and children, not just in India, but outside the borders of our country as well. The coming weeks will give us a clearer idea about the numbers participating and the resources collected and the innovative manner in which the week has been celebrated, but even as we are all set to usher in the week, we take a moment off to give thanks to.....

the many celebrities who have taken time off from their busy schedules to make time to promote, participate and contribute to the JGW. Tendulkar, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Shriya, Adi Godrej, Amit Chandra, Anurag Kashyap.... to name just a few

the media, which has been covering the week extensively for a couple of weeks featuring on its pages, this story of positive change that comes across as a ray of hope amongst all the negative stories that are on the front pages of our newspapers or are headlines on our television screens.

the State Bank of India for carrying on all its 22,000 ATMs, the message of the Joy of Giving Week.

the many faces across the length and breadth of the country, from the school children in places like Nagaland, the corporate honcho in a metro, the college student in small towns, the concerned senior citizen, the homemaker, the office goer, the government official, the man on the street, all of whom have embraced the JGW as their personal festival, thus enabling us to make this a common vision, for the JGW has been visualised as a festival where every Indian from a 'billionaire to a paanwallah' can participate

above all, thanks are due to the many volunteers of the JGW team who have been working in visible and invisible ways for months to ensure that the message of this festival reaches as many as possible and that those who desire to participate are enabled to do so. It is their motivation, single minded determination, the shared vision, the time devoted to carrying this message of hope to as many as possible by making time for it in their otherwise busy schedules, that has contributed to a large extent to the success of this festival.

Thank you to all and may the Joy of Giving Week bring us all great joy. Join, participate and celebrate the JGW with humility and abundance.

Words of Wisdom

2010-09-24T16:10:00.004+05:30

With the Joy of giving Week 2010 beginning the day after tomorrow, we could all do with some inspiring quotes to set us in the right frame of mind to give. Here are some wise words from the wise.

Gibran, puts it beautifully when he says, " It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding."

Albert M. Wells , " Sharing what you have is more important than what you have." The JGW stems from this idea, that it is more important to share than to possess.

Another gem, " You can never expect too much of yourself in the matter of giving yourself to others." ( Theodore C. Speers)

A beautiful and inspiring quote that sums up the essence of the JGW, is by Henry Drummond" There is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving" and the second "True religion ...is giving and finding one's happiness by bringing happiness into the lives of others."

The Joy of Giving Week, attempts to do just what these sayings advocate, bring happiness into one's own life and enrich that of others by giving, giving in abundance. Each one of us can give, no gift is too big or too small or too mean. In fact there is no meanness associated with giving. The very act of giving elevates us to a higher plane which is why one supposes that there is a feeling of joy. The recognition that joy accompanies giving is one that we usually learn as children and forget along the way. It is time to learn this lesson again. Two more inspiring quotes to end this post with : " No people were ever honored for what they received, Honor has been the reward for what they gave". ( Calvin Coolidge) and Henry Ford, the trail blazing businessman " Most people thing of success in terms of getting, success however, begins in terms of giving."

Let Joy & Peace Prevail

2010-09-20T17:39:00.004+05:30

With Joy of Giving Week 2010 just 6 days away, it is heartening to note that around 170 events have already been registered on our website. We are confident that in the coming days, more participants would come forward to register their events and the number of events is sure to surpass last years total of 300. Many have written in to ask whether they could hold their fundraising, awareness creating, volunteering, resource collection activities either before or after the week is officially over. While we welcome any activity or attempt to give and would encourage them, we regret that such events cannot be considered a part of the Joy of Giving Week.

Is it necessary to hold your 'giving' event only during the JGW? Not at all. We are free to spread joy through giving as and when we find it convenient and in the manner we choose to. Yet, we would like as many of you as possible to have your 'giving' activities during the JGW not because we want to preen about how successful we have been at co-ordinating the festival, but because only then will it truly turn into a national festival. This is crucial to spread the culture of giving in the country. The spirit of giving should be imbibed by each one of us and should be as natural to us as breathing. When that happens, each day will be a Joy of Giving Day and each one of us will experience the happiness that comes from giving and ultimately peace will prevail in the land.

So come forward to participate in this unique humane festival. For those who have no clue about how to contribute, our site joyofgivingweek.ning.com has the answers. Today, when there is turmoil in the land with flood and diseases, apprehension about terrorist attacks and engineered accidents, worry about the fallout of the Ayodhya Judgment, we are all in need of an event, a festival that helps us to reach out to each other in a spirit of equality and empathy and that is the Joy of Giving Week. Come forward to bury differences and reach out to help, to cheer, to encourage and to give. The Joy of Giving Week, 26th Sept., to 2nd Oct., 2010

and God made us all

2010-09-16T16:38:00.004+05:30

This morning, while on the regular commute to work by the suburban rail, a stray dog entered the compartment. The excitement was immediate and perceivable because it was after all a break from the routine commute. Newspapers were put away, the cellphone ring was ignored and fingers stopped counting the rosary beads. The dog made itself comfortable and sat down at a corner near the door, a place usually occupied by the street urchins, women vendors etc. For a short while, there was shared laughter and a few brave souls began to pet the dog while the rest watched indulgently. After a couple of minutes, a young student opened her lunchbox and fed the dog a chapati. Out came other sundry food stuff and by the time this writer got down (about 20mins after the dog entered), the dog had been offered a biscuit, a sandwich, more chapatis, some rice and vegetable. Did not really notice whether the dog ate it all.

Through all the excitement the animal caused, one could'nt help wondering about what would have happened if an urchin or a eunuch or a poor woman with babies in tow had entered the compartment. The treatment meted out to them would have been far from welcoming. They would have been shooed, asked to get down, threatened with a police complaint, and the camarederie one experienced amongst the commuters in the first instance would have taken a different turn with us grumbling about "These people don't understand. They get in and they have nothing to do except have kids". It is almost as if 'these people' don't matter and are not people at all. Most of us are guilty of displaying this attitude at sometime or the other.

What do we do about it? Nothing actually except turn defensive when accused. But if we truly want to make a difference, then we need to treat all with courtsey and accord to all the respect we wish to be given. Granted the ticketless traveller or a free-loader can be an irritant but by treating him/ her like an inanimate object, we are negating his/ her very humanity. Each one of us is equal in the eyes of God. It should not be too difficult for an aetheist to accept that we are all human beings and that by itself makes us all equal.

The JGW is about equality and according dignity to all. Raising resources is of no use if unaccompanied with graciousness. To raise the JGW this year to a higher plane, let us make it a point to treat all with courtsey and believe that "all of us are born equal in dignity and rights." If the JGW can transfer a message that all of us are equally worthy, and if this message is absorbed by many, then the change towards a more egalitarian society has begun. Let us begin to work on this change, today and now.

A Human Touch

2010-09-13T18:34:00.004+05:30

Just read about Human Touch, a Nagpur based NGO, participating in the JGW to raise resources to 'serve the young'. They will be participating in the India Giving Challenge that is a part of JGW. The name Human touch, seems so apt to describe the essence of the JGW. In this week, we hope by performing the act of giving, strangers reach out to each other, a human touch as it were. Going by the number of events registered at the JGW website, 82 at the time of writing this, (though we are sure many more would have been planned but not registered), many young people are coming forward to reach out and help. That is hearening. What is also encouraging, is the link between the corporate and the NGO. We have written about this earlier, but think it is worth mentioning again because any such linkage is beneficial for the NGO has a mentor and the corporate gains in tax breaks and enhances its image in the community to name just two.
Coming back to the events registered, like last year they cover a wide range of areas, like organ donation, education, health awareness, resource mobilisation, working for change to name just a few. For those who would like more details about the events and how to participate, visit us at www.joyofgivingweek.ning.com. With the JGW just 2 weeks away, there is'nt much time and we need to act fast if we are to make a bigger impact this year than last year.
Meanwhile here is another press report:
http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report_give-in-to-the-pleasure-of-giving-selflessly_1437226

Usher in Hope

2010-09-10T17:38:00.007+05:30

This blog has consciously refrained from commenting on political and current issues and restricted itself to motivating and inspiring people to participate in the Joy of Giving Week and experience joy through such giving. This is not because we shy away from discussing issues of national and human importance, but because we feel such discussion inevitably turns cynical and, cynicism is the last sentiment one would want associated with the JGW. The JGW has not been without its critics and one major and common criticism against the JGW is that it focusses on restricting giving to a week and not beyond that. This is however untrue. It is correct that we emphasise on and create awareness about the week long festival of giving but we do that hoping that those who choose to give, continue to do so much after the week is over, because of the joy they have experienced by giving time, money or other resources during the JGW.

Going back to what we began this post with, the current situation in India is far from rosy. With inflation at a high, food unavailable to all, the CVC speaking about corruption in both high places and amongst the ordinary Indian, rampant malaria, dengue and other infection spreading rapidly, doctors on strike, the trade unions on strike, schools turning into punsihment and suicide zones, we all need an event that ushers in hope, telling us that things can and will change. This change will come about only when we choose to bring it in. We can do that by beginning to empathise and by believing that all are equally worthy. The Joy of Giving Week, aims to do just that. Here there is a giver and a receiver, but the relationship is one of equals because both experience joy; a joy that comes from sharing, caring and reaching out. Experience that joy along with countless others, during the Joy of Giving Week 2010 and help us become a more humane country.

Meanwhile, here is a link to a write-up on the JGW events to be held in Pune this year

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-joy-of-giving-week-schedule-unveiled/679870/

Vastrasamman

2010-09-06T20:11:00.003+05:30

One of the offerings to God during a Pooja in Hinduism, is the symbolic offering of Vastram. Here, pure cotton wool is made into a garland and offered to the deity. This is called Vastram meaning cloth. The exchange of clothes between the bride's family and the groom's family during weddings, probably stems from this. By gifting clothes, we are in a way according respect to the other person. Vastrasamman literally means 'respect through clothes', and this, is the basic idea behind the Vastrasamman campaign of Goonj. By clothing the unclad, Vastrasamman seeks to bestow dignity to the individual.

Goonj and its campaign is an integral part of JGW. The Vastrasamman initiative is on the face of it very simple; collect clothes from those who would like to donate and distribute to those in need. But the effort put in to collect and distribute is massive with collection centres in many cities and small towns. No piece of cloth is discarded. The hanky or small napkin we throw away, may be pieced together along with other small pieces, and may end up as a baby's diaper, a loin cloth or as a home made sanitary napkin. By recognising the immense need the poorest of the poor, especially the women, have for cloth as much as they have for clothes, Vastrasamman is in a way reaffirming the worth of every individual.

As we go through our wardrobes everyday, wondering what to wear to college or to work or to the party, discarding much of what we have as unsuitable, unfashionable, boring etc., let us spare a thought to those who have just one set of clothes or perhaps not even that and as we rush out to buy the perfect dress, let us resolve to give away what we do not use. Let that be our contribution to the JGW this year, that each time we buy a new outfit, we give away one old one. When we settle down to springclean our wardrobe, let us not hoard clothes for sentimental reasons or selfish reasons or for any reason whatsoever. Let us on the contrary give away all that we have not used and are not likely to use. That will truly give us Joy and can be our commitment to the Joy of Giving Week.

Spreading Awareness

2010-09-02T18:35:00.005+05:30

With less than a month to go for the JGW, the media has begun to pay attention to the phenomenal success of the week and the potential it holds for impacting many lives. Recent media coverage on the JGW has been both generous and extensive. Yet, one does feel that the idea of JGW is as yet unknown to many. It is necessary to reach out to as many as possible because the more the numbers participating in the JGW, the more the numbers that will be helped. If each one of us can spread the message of JGW to at least 10 people who were unaware of it earlier and in turn ask them to share the idea with 10 each, then more awareness is created and enhanced participation is possible. The festive season is here and one could use the community celebration venues to spread awareness about JGW. Our impulse to give and to share is very strong during the festival season and one should therefore capitalise on this strong impulse to influence others to participate in the Joy of Giving Week. The website of the JGW shows that around 45 registered events are scheduled to be held as a part of the week, though many more would have been planned but not registered. We are sure that this is just the beginning and that the number of events held, the resources raised and the number of people impacted will surpass that of last year. However, it helps us when the events you plan are registered so that we have a ready record of the impact and more important, are in a position to formulate a strategy to reach out to more, thus spreading the message of the Joy of Giving Week.

Sach a Joy

2010-08-31T17:30:00.004+05:30

India's most loved sportsperson Sachin Tendulkar, is at it again, helping promote the Joy of Giving week 2010. In an exclusive interview with Times Now, he says "the Joy of Giving Week is a great opportunity for an individual to express himself and what he wants to do for the community." Sachin of course not only doubled his contribution to his favourite charity Apnalaya last year during JGW, but also devoted a day to a cricket coaching camp, offering his time that was auctioned to raise funds. He says that he enjoyed getting to know the people who attended his camp.

The JGW has been lucky in that it has both famous and committed brand ambassadors. Whether it has been Sachin, or Nandita Das, Shriya, Surya, Madhavan, Rahul Bose or the corporate big wigs like Adi Godrej, all have not just lent their names, faces and voices, but more importantly have given generously of their time and that has been a major contributing factor to the success of the Week in its very year of inception in 2009.

However the famous can take a movement only upto a certain point. mass participation becomes essential for any movement to succeed and again JGW has been lucky in that it has caught the imagination of the public at large and turned into a national festival, cutting across all barriers and with all participating. Some of the ways the country contributed has been written about in today's Times of India in Mumbai. Meanwhile what of JGW 2010. here we go back to quote the star cricketer as he says:
We have set higher goals this year and higher targets. It is not only up to me, but it is up to the whole of India to help us achieve the target. This week is to celebrate, to make sure that there are happy people across the country, and there are smiles on faces. That is what we wish to do. The idea behind starting this joy of giving week was to spread smiles.

So let's all heed Sachin's words and come together to spread smiles. participate in the Joy of Giving Week between the 26th of Sept., and the 2nd of Oct 2010. A link that says more

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Sach-joy-of-giving-We-have-higher-goals-now/articleshow/6464845.cms

Of This and That....

2010-08-22T10:08:00.005+05:30

Today's Indian Express carries a photograph captioned 'When Hunger Turns to Anger', depicting a victim of the flood in Pakistan, trying to throttle another victim apparently because the latter was trying to snatch food or preventing the former from getting food.
The latest hit film is Peepli Live, a satire on farmer suicide and focussing on the hopelessness of their lives. The flood victims of Leh continue to suffer even as reconstruction efforts are underway. Farmers in Aligargh are agitating, demanding higher compensation for their land.
The papers are also full of Vedanta and the latest richest Indian, Anil Agarwal, whose networth is estimated almost one and a half lakh crores.
If we were earlier unaware, of the chasm existing between the haves and the have nots it is made clear as one reads reports like these. We do concede that a purely equitable society is idealistic and to be very honest, is also unachievable. But yet, the difference need not be so wide. How can we as a society continue to exist when we are aware that even as we blow money on our comforts and luxuries, there are many who go to bed hungry and cold. This is not a rhetorical question, but one we truly need to ask and find an answer to, and the manner we choose to make amends, will reflect the society we want to create.
One could argue that all are not born equal, that one has a right to enjoy one's own hard earned money. Fair enough and we have no arguments with that but is it also not right that opportunities be made available to all ? Can we, sitting comfortably in our air-conditioned homes and looking for ways to invest money, not spare a thought for those less fortunate and in need of our time, our money, our resources, our expertise?
Thoughts like these perhaps prompted 40 US billionaires, motivated and led by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to pledge their money to charity. There are critics who wonder whether the pledge had to be public and was it publicity the billionaires were seeking. But we do not think so and would like to believe that the billionaires made public their intention hoping that others would follow their lead. We hope so too and in India, we do have corporate leaders devoting their time to spread the word about the Joy of Giving Week. Meanwhile unfazed by criticism, Gates Buffet are trying hard to convince their European counterparts to pledge their wealth to charity.
We may not be billionaires or even millionaires, but the little we have can be shared and let us resolve to do that during the Joy of Giving Week this year.

Redeeming our Pledge

2010-08-13T19:03:00.005+05:30

This is what we wrote on the 13th of August 2009:

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.

On a first reading, nothing appears to have changed; we are still battling all the above along with Swine Flu and malaria, there is rampant corruption especially with the Commonwealth Games, Kashmir is seething, Leh is suffering because of floods, honour killings are more the norm than the exception and the list could go on.

Yet, one is hopeful and optimistic that positive changes are taking place slowly but surely and what is heartwarming is that these changes are mostly spearheaded by children. What else can explain the overwhelming response to Design for Change, an event that is a part of the Joy of giving Week. The Design for Change inspires children to identify a social problem and design a solution . This year, children from 24 countries are participating in this event, that appropriately begins on the 15th of August. By participating in this event, the children not only gain an insight into the problems of the community, but also learn to empathise. This is the manner in which an inclusive society can be built, by ensuring that our children walk with the ones who need the most support.
As we gear up to celebrate 63 years of Independence , let us all take a moment off to redeem our pledge to each other as Indians and promise to care and to share and forge relationships to build an all inclusive society where each one of us is accepted and treated with dignity. As the first of the JGW event kicks off on the 15th of August, let that be our promise. Let us learn from our children as they discover solutions to problems not of their making. A Joyous and Giving Independence Day to all our readers.

For those who would like to read last years' post, here is the link:
http://joyofgivingweek.blogspot.com/2009/08/towards-freedom.html

A Detour

2010-08-03T17:37:00.005+05:30

Blogging about the Joy of Giving Week is not easy, because there is so much we would like to say that we do not know where to begin. Do we write about the Week specifically, do we focus on stories of giving, do we draw attention to the good work done by CSR s in corporates, do we keep you updated on events, help you with ideas on how you could participate, or do we concentrate on our Brand Ambassadors and the manner in which they help promote the Week ? So many areas and all of it merits equal attention because they are all important aspects that need to be written about. The posts in this blog have at sometime or the other, addressed all these issues and will continue to do so.

However, the one issue that many are curious about is how did the idea of the JGW originate. To this, there is really no clear answer, for no one, not even Give India that co-ordinated the festival last year and will do so this year too, is in a position to clarify this. One would like to think that the concept sprung from one of those Eureka moments. But a Eureka moment comes only when an idea has existed in the subconscious. Perhaps the idea of Joy of Giving Week has been dormant in many of us and just needed somebody to give it a voice. Only that can explain the unprecedented and unforseen popularity of the Week in its very year of inception.

The JGW aims to turn us all for a week at least into people who care and share. For a week we will not be selfish humans looking after our own interests but affectionate humans who can empathise. For a week we will forget the "weariness, the fever and the fret/ Here where men sit and hear each other groan." For a week, we will like Keats was, be transported into a world where the Nightingale sings with pure undulterated joy. Such will be our reward when we participate in the week long festival of giving between the 26th of Sept., and the 2nd of Oct.

Youth and JGW

2010-08-01T07:10:00.004+05:30

Amongst the biggest impact of the Joy of Giving Week has been the manner in which it has aimed to engage the youth. A previous post has articulated the involvement of school children. Today we share with you news about the innovative and wholehearted participation of college students in the JGW in an endeavour aptly called "Joyfest'; literally a festival of joy. Anchored by XLRI Jamshedpur, over 100 colleges signed up for the weeklong festival of giving in 2009. As Fr.Abraham Director of XLRI put it, "In our daily lives, we all help others in our own small ways. But here is an opportunity for us to do it together, to encourage others to do so, and to celebrate the spirit of volunteerism, which is so deep-rooted in the Jamshedpur community. As a part of our Diamond Jubilee celebrations, we have decided that we will make efforts to anchor and facilitate this cause for the city to which we belong… and contribute to the nation-building.”

The colleges were free to organise their own events in the manner they choose, the only condition being that the motive should be to enagage in giving. Hence we had colleges raise resources in fun ways, engage the disadvantaged especially children in activities, signup to be a part of the Vastra Samman campaign co-ordinated by Goonj, visit the elderly, clean the neighbourhood, promote safety awareness, civic consciousness and many more. It is practically impossible to share with you the many innovative ideas the students came up with or to share the empathy and concern the young display to those in need. So we leave you with a link to the Joyfest site where you will be able to read about 2009 Joyfest and track it during the current Joy of Giving Week, to be held between 26th Sept., and 2nd Oct.

http://www.joyfest.in/index.asp

JGW '10 Marches Ahead

2010-07-28T16:33:00.004+05:30

With about 60 days to go for the Joy of Giving Week 2010, initiating and planning events for the Week, have begun to pick up across the country and more clarity is emerging on the events during JGW '10. We have already updated you in earlier posts on JGW '10 in Chennai and Hyderabad.

http://joyofgivingweek.blogspot.com/2010/07/jgw-2010-in-hyderabad.html

http://joyofgivingweek.blogspot.com/2010/07/towards-jgw-10.html

We have also got updates from Ahmedabad now and as in the other cities, there are a range of events planned to raise resources during Joy of giving Week. This includes a medical camp by Shalby Hospital, Art Training for children by umang Hutheesing, an auction and dinner date with celebrities hosted byb Radio Mirchi and of course the popular Joyfest in colleges and MAMs I am the Change film project. We are confident that in the days to come, Ahmedabad will unveil more events and will manage to raise more resources and attract more followers to the festival, the Joy of Giving Week.
One of the reasons for the unprecendented success and popularity of the festival in the very first year of inception is that it makes no demands, follows no set manner of celebration, is all inclusive and most important reconnects us with our innate need to belong, to share and to celebrate. It is our hope that the Joy of Giving Week 2010 to be celebrated between the 26th of Sept., and the 2nd of Oct., will soon rank amongst the most joyous festivals in India and perhaps abroad as well.

Be the Change

2010-07-24T17:44:00.005+05:30

"Be the Change you Want to See in the World".

Words that have inspired and continue to inspire millions across the world. Gandhiji lived this mantra but unfortunately, in the decades since his assassination, to many, this thought provoking dictum has turned into a mere utterance. This is not because we as a people disregard this, but because we are caught up so much in the business of earning a living and making a life for ourselves and those we love, that we have forgotten that if our life has to change, the world has to change and we need to reflect that change.
It was with this intention that Riverside School Ahmedebad, organised and co-ordinated the Design for Giving contest as a part of the JGW 009. Over a thousand schools participated in this event and a jury of prominent design professionals evaluated the projects submitted and shortlisted 20 entries as worthy of high mention. The contest basically had students select a problem in the community that they would like to solve and work out a solution. The submitted entries displayed a remarkable maturity and ranged from keeping school premises clean, to recognising the important role mothers play in our lives by asking for a Mothers' Day every Sunday; cleaning garbage dumps and campaigning against the use of plastic, raising much needed resources for Aanganwadis to mention just a few of the many entries. For more on this, visit www.designforchangecontest.com

It is heartening and humbling when children set out to solve problems in practical and novel ways in the process enriching all our lives by making it more meaningful. That the change we would like to see in the world needs to have its genesis in each one of us is something none of us would deny but it needs to be reinforced. By involving children in this process,The Design for Giving, brings to the metamorphosis of society, a continuity that will hopefully endure.
With participation from abroad this year, the Design for Giving during JGW 2010 promises to throw up more solutions to the problems we face. To register or read more about the JGW 10 visit www.joyofgivingweek.ning.com

JGW 2010 in Hyderabad

2010-07-21T17:53:00.002+05:30

Last year, Hyderabad enthusiastically embraced the JGW along with other cities. The participation cut across all age groups and the events were also diverse; a book launch with Amala, activities for children and senior citizens at Aurora College, collection of clothes for Vastra Samman, co-ordinated by Goonj and of course the well publicised and major fund-raiser Shadow a CEO, initiated by ISB.
Hyderabad seems to have decided to surpass its last years performance this year during JGW, as the events planned so far seem to indicate.
The ISB of course will be inviting students of other business schools to participate in the Shadow a CEO this year. Students of Aurora College have again planned a week long festival of giving. the other events range from a Musical Nite, to a piggybank in companies, a Heritage Auction, Blood Donation, special events for children, a Seva Mela and many more that are yet to be registered.
It is heartening that all sections of society are catered to and one hopes that the resources raised would benefit the many who are in need.
But more importantly, in Hyderabad as in other places, the JGW helps us to reach the inner recesses of our soul for it reinforces the often forgotten lesson that it is in giving that we truly receive. Giving is Divine; when we recognise this, we will find that it is easy to give and giving then becomes for us an act as natural as breathing.

JGW and Empathy

2010-07-16T17:59:00.009+05:30

When first introduced to the concept of JGW last year, most of us would confess to having been a little cynical about the idea. "Why devote a week to giving?", "Does giving have to stop when the week is over?", was the common refrain. I do not think many of us would have visualised that the JGW would make such a tremendous impact and captured the imagination of people from all parts of the country and in some corners abroad as well. The reason for this could be that somewhere in our fast paced and highly individualistic lives, we began to lose the ability to empathise and really connect with others. The JGW gave us an opportunity to do that and as Hussain says, we began to give not just because we had too much, but also because we know what it is like to not have. We are not talking only about material goods, but also about not having friends, to not have someone to talk to, play with, share with, spend time with. And so it was that during JGW 2009, people of all age groups and from all over India, connected and empathised and gave of themselves freely. We had students from a school in Gangtok spend time with and bathe and clean children from a school for the mentally challenged. We had students visit the elderly, visit orphanages, arrange a treat for them, and most important spend time with them. Many such events have been written about in our earlier posts.
Of all the gifts one receives in life, what is most treasured is to have someone tell us they are there for us and that they understand. Empathy is inherent in all of us. Unfortunately, very rarely do we recognise its presence. By willingly being a part of the JGW, we are in a way going back to our roots and walking in each other's shoes.
Let us mark our calendars for JGW 2010, between the 6th of Sept., and the 2nd of Oct. Let us give thanks for what we have and let us be there for each other. That is the way to a lasting peace and harmony in the world.

Shadow a CEO

2010-07-12T18:18:00.007+05:30

Amongst the many innovative events held to raise resources for charity during the JGW 09, Shadow a CEO would definitely rank as one that combined learning with charity. Owned by the ISB Hyderabad, the event saw students of this prestigious school bid to shadow a CEO of their choice for a day. Twentysix much admired and emulated top corporate leaders willingly participated in this auction that saw 1, 196 bids and raised around Rs6.8 lakhs for charity. Amongst the CEOs who participated were N R Narayana Murthy, Chairman of the Board and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies, Adi Godrej, Chairman, The Godrej Group; Deepak Parekh, Chairman, HDFC; K V Kamath, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank; Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman and MD, Biocon Ltd.; Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group; and Rajat Kumar Gupta, Chairman, The ISB and Senior Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company and many others of equal calibre.

How did this concept work? it is basically very simple; students bid to spend a day with a leader of their choice and the highest bidder spent one day observing and learning with their chosen CEO. The CEO in turn matched the bid made by the student with an equal grant to a previously chosen charity. To use a cliche, it was a win-win situation for all; the student, the charity chosen and the CEO also for as Mr.Narayan Murthy said . he felt very happy that a young, intelligent person with a great future had chosen to spend a day with him. Probed further as to who he would have chosen to spend a day with, Mr. Murthy's reply was Mahatma Gandhi. To quote : "It has to be Mahatma Gandhi, there is absolutely no doubt at all because he is one leader that has had tremendous influence on me. Because of a very simple reason, he led by example. He walked the talk. That has been the corner stone of my philosophy that is how I have conducted myself all these years and meeting Mahatma Gandhi, spending time with him would have been absolutely dream come true for me."

Why would a business school devote time to an event that on the face of it has no monetary value? This is best answered by the Dean of ISB, Ajit Ragnekar when he says that :

“The ISB believes that social responsibility is a vital aspect of doing business and it is this belief that drives us to associate and participate in the Joy of Giving Week through the ‘Shadow a CEO’ programme. We encourage our students to take on socially responsible ventures and use the power of business to improve society.”

This year, the ISB hopes to allow students from other Business schools to participate in Shadow a CEO. When that happens, not only will more learning take place because more students can participate, but resources raised will also multiply especially with generous CEOs like Adi Godrej, who actually doubled the amount bid by an enthusiastic student.

We will keep you posted here on the bidding process and progress for Shadow a CEO during JGW 10.

Anonymous Givers

2010-07-07T18:03:00.002+05:30

We hope a wave will sweep across India from the 26th of Sept., to the 2nd of Oct., this year. This wave, we hope, will cut across all barriers and will be truly inclusive as we celebrate the Joy of Giving. This festival takes its inspiration from the ordinary Indian, who has a basic generosity of spirit as is witnessed when we come out in large numbers to help during flood, earthquake, accident or other unfortunate occurences. All those who help at such times fade away into obscurity after having done their bit.

This post is a tribute to some of these anonymous Indians, who have made it their life's mission to share their time, money, skills or other resources to spread some light, hope and joy in the lives of others.

These are the people like AnandKumar and Abhayanand, a Mathematician and DIG of police, who together run the Ramanujan school of mathematics in Bihar, that ensures that the poorest aspirants of IIT are given free coaching every year. There is Muhammed Sharif who ensures that unclaimed bodies are given a decent burial. There is Nur, who releases caged birds in memory of his son who was swept away in a tidal wave. Vandana the founder member of The Banyan, picked up a mentally ill destitute woman off the streets and went on to build up a home for the mentally ill destitute. There is also Vinod Sreedhar, who goes about performing Random Acts of Kindness, one of which is to smile at strangers and pass on some happiness, by asking a rickshaw driver to share a cup of tea with him, after ferrying him.

There are also groups of individuals coming together for a cause. The members of the Rohan Nilay society in Aundh, Pune, for eg. raised a sum of 1.2 lakhs in year by selling their newspapers. This money has been earmarked for the education of the needy.

Singhvi, a CA, in Mumbai has quit his professional practice and made it his mission to green the Yeeor Hills near Thane. Under the Hariyali Project, he spends his own money to buy and nurture saplings. In order that the current generation understands the importance of nurturing the greenery we have, he invites school children each year to plant the saplings during the monsoon.

It is because of our basic nature to help that the response to JGW was widespread. Along with various initiatives underaken by NGOs and corporates to raise funds during the week, what was heartening was that the individual citizen came out in large numbers to ensure his/ her participation in various ways: by volunteering time, skills, money. The spirit of giving seemed to have permeated into the soul of every individual. There was no cynicism here, no expectations and no rules, only humility and joy.

Reintroducing JGW

2010-07-04T07:34:00.003+05:30

It might seem a little absurd to talk about the concept of the Joy of Giving Week again because one has been writing about it and you have been following our posts since last year. But as we inch toward the Joy of Giving Week 10, it is likely that many more would begin to read these posts and for their benefit as well as ours, (it is always better to refresh one's memory and clear misconceptions), we think it is important to devote a post to reintroduce the concept of JGW.

What exactly is the Joy of Giving Week? It is as we have said in our earlier posts, a week devoted to charitable or philantropic acts, a festival of philantropy, that we hope over the years will become a part of our ethos. It is a festival which by its very nature belongs to each one of us, is owned by nobody, is all inclusive, sets no rigid boundaries or rules regarding the mode of celebration. Launched successfully in 2009, volunteers across the country and abroad, co-ordinated this 'pan Indian' festival. This year too, the JGW to be held between the 26th of Sept and the 2nd of Oct., has scores of volunteers working to ensure its success.

Innovative and inspiring events were held during JGW '09 which also saw celebrity and media support for this unique concept, all of which helped raise not only much needed resources, but also our collective consciousness towards giving. To know more about the JGW 09, please follow this link:

http://joyofgivingweek.blogspot.com/2010/04/measuring-impact-of-jgw-09.html
How can one be a part of this movement? Simple, all one has to do is to plan a 'giving event'. In case you are stuck for ideas, get in touch or visit our website where we will shortly have an idea bank to help you get started. If you have your own ideas, that's great and you can share them with us and register your event. More about JGW:
----------------
Key features of JGW

JGW does not belong to any organisation, it is an 'open format' movement owned by the people of India. After a few years, we hope it will become like Diwali or Ganeshotsav or Holi, a festival of giving celebrated all over the country.
It is to be abbreviated as JGW
Any giving activity [time, money, skills, resources] is encouraged, people can create their own events or participate in others. corporate volunteer activities, clothes collection drives, fundraising concerts or dinners, visiting orphanages/elderly homes, etc. are all welcome ways to participate.
CREATIVE giving events are welcome- JGW2009 saw many innovations like CEOs walking the ramp or being shadowed for a cause, or 5 star hotels 'collaborating' in a big battle of buffets, or Tendulkar auctioning a cricket coaching camp for charity.
There are only 2 major restrictions-

Events can be classified as part of JGW only if some significant part of the event is happening during the Week, or if it is a systematically orchestrated build up to something large in the Week.
Likewise, events have to be about 'GIVING' to the less fortunate. They should not be commercially driven

JGW is co-ordinated by a bunch of volunteers all over India. Each of 10 cities has a co-ordinator, and 'vertical owners' who drive different 'verticals' like corporates, schools, colleges, ngos, etc. JGW doesn't have any employees, as it is not an organisation.

Towards JGW 10

2010-07-01T18:40:00.003+05:30

While we have been reporting on the various events of the Joy of giving Week '09, work for the Joy of Giving Week '10 has been going on. A festival of this scale, where each one of us can participate, can only be successful when planning begins much in advance. It is also necessary to reach out to as many as possible, both to spread joy and to raise resources. What better way to do this than through the media? We have been lucky that newspapers, television channels, and the radio have come forward to help us spread our message of giving. Again there has been interaction between the government, the NGO and the corporate, which has helped us to reach out to more sections of society. We are confident that this interaction will continue this year too. Meanwhile, here is a link to take you to whjat is in store for Chennaites this year during JGW.
From The Hindu and the Times of India http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article482817.ece
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOICH%2F2010%2F06%2F24&ViewMode=GIF&GZ=T&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00203&AppName=1

As the reports show there is a lot of enthusiasm generated for JGW and we are confident that this will only increase in the coming weeks and Chennai will go out of its way to raise much needed resources and to spread joy during JGW 10. As the weeks go by, we will bring in more reports from other parts of the country. Be there for us and for yourselves, to experience joy.

JGW 09 in Cochin

2010-06-28T04:15:00.002+05:30

Even as one gears up for JGW 2010, we continue to be amazed and overwhelmed by 'giving' stories that we come across about the Joy of Giving Week, 09. Here is one from Cochin that we did'nt know of. The information has been shared by a young engineer,Jisha, in Cochin Square and the picture she has posted says it all.

"As part of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations this year, the Joy of Giving Week, an initiative by an NGO ‘Give India’, will be held from September 27 to October 3. The students of Adarsh Charitable Trust will be given a grand dinner with a celebrity guest at Hotel Mercy and Hotel Abad Plaza on September 27 and 30. The children will be entertained with magic by magician Gopinath Muthucad and singer G Venugopal will be singing some beautiful songs for them. Many more celebrities are likely to attend the dinner. Around 50 students are selected for the ‘dinner with the celebrity’ night.

Anybody who wishes to be a part this function, can join in. You can dine for a cause and a share of the profit will go to Adarsh. One can contribute money, skills or resources during this week. Corporates can contribute their one-day’s salary or provide study materials for the students of Adarsh. A voluntary medical camp will be organized by the students of Ayurveda College at Adarsh during the week. Even you can contribute whatever you can. Every bit counts. Give as much or as little as you wish to."

Every drop counts may sound cliched but that is exactly what the above article emphasises as it exhorts us to 'give as much or as little" as we wish to. Let us remember that this year during Joy of Giving Week 2010.
If you have more such stories, please do share them with us.

Inspiration

2010-06-24T18:39:00.001+05:30

We take a break from writing about events related to JGW specifically, to share with you stories from The Times of India, stories about anonymous Indians for whom giving is as natural as breathing.

Indrani Rajkhowa Banerjee reports:

You don’t need much to be an everyday philanthropist. As Ajit Singh Narulla from Delhi’s Rajouri Garden realised. A real estate builder, Narulla and his friends set out on mini trucks every evening with potable water tanks to distribute drinking water in the shanties of west Delhi. Narulla says, “These shanties have no water supply and it can be terrible in Delhi’s punishing heat. We thought that we could help by getting a little proactive.” They take turns and bear the expense themselves. “The remaining water is used to fill huge earthen pots that we’ve installed in strategic points in Rajouri,” he adds.

A Parsi from Kutch, Mrs Chheda unflinchingly delivers five litres of buttermilk everyday for the three summer months at a nearby milk booth to be distributed amongst the thirsty vendors, watchmen and taxi drivers.

Delhi-based businessman Nitin Gupta’s family doesn’t make offerings to priests on shraadh ceremonies. The entire family shares food and spends the day playing antakshri with blind kids from an orphanage in Vikaspuri, Delhi on such occasions. “There is so much hunger around that food never gets wasted here,” says a known lady restaurateur from Delhi, letting out a trade secret. “The leftover food in every restaurant is eaten by the waiters and their families.” Five-star hotels like the Taj Palace Delhi gives away surplus food to Father Agnel Bal Bhavan, a hostel for lepers. The Le Meridien gives excess food to Asian Food Bank and other leftovers to People for Animals. Meridien regularly gives wilted flowers to an NGO for women and children where natural colour is turned into dye. The remaining food from the Times of India Mumbai’s director and executive canteens goes to Pavement Club, a project for street and underprivileged children.

If you’ve wondered about the authenticity of those mute donation boxes in malls, we would say it’s safe to dip into your wallet. Pradyuman of CRY, Delhi, says, “Though the percentage of these collections is less than donations from corporates and individuals, it definitely helps our cause.”

Prasad Dhume, a former engineer, gave up his job to dedicate full time to the cause of those who have their upper knee amputated, by providing them low-cost artificial limb accessories.

What is it that drives these people to do what they have been doing, with no thought for publicity or personal reward? Perhaps Dhume has the answer when he says, "Giving is our culture.", and we need to remember this as we gear up for the Joy of Giving Week, 2010.

Celebrating JGW

2010-06-20T05:43:00.004+05:30

When we go through the feedback we have received after the Joy of Giving Week 2009, we are amazed not just at the enthusiasm and willingness to embrace the JGW as everyone's festival, but are also overwhelmed at the detailed planning that has gone into the participation. What is particularly gratifying is the involvement of a large number of youngsters from schools and colleges, for these are the Changemakers of the future. Of the many stories we will be sharing with you from schools and colleges across the country, here is one from LIBA (Loyola Institute of Business Administration), Chennai.
The students of LIBA, had unconditional support of their faculty as they planned a week long celebration starting with an inagural function on the very first day of JGW, the 27th of Sept., 09, the students visited an orphanage to spend time with mentally challenged children, decided to green the environment by planting trees, co-ordinated with Shankar Nethralaya and organised an eye donation drive in college, also collected clothes as a part of the Vastrasamman drive co-ordinated by Goonj, cleaned the area around the college and hostel and began work on creating a beautiful garden in the vicinity of the college, while simultaneously empathising with the rag pickers who make a living collecting garbage.
The students however, did not forget their education and thoughtfully organised a lecture on Social Entrepreneurship by Mr.Mahadevan of Oriental Cuisines. Mr.Mahadevan is a social entrepreneur who employs a large number of the disadvantaged and was instrumental in organising the Battle of the Buffet in Chennai, during JGW 09. The students got some valuable lessons on social responsibility from him.
The impact of the events in JGW at LIBA is best expressed in the words of a student who says, " the people who have felt the Joy of Giving, will celebrate the Joy of Giving Week everyday of their lives. "
These are inspiring words that we could remember as we get ready for JGW 10.

Gifting a New Life

2010-06-17T00:32:00.001+05:30

Amongst the many events organised by anonymous and caring citizens of India during the Joy of Giving Week '09, are those that were aimed at creating awareness about issues of health. This included awareness programs abour Cochlear Implants, blood donation, disseminating information about Swine Flu, awareness about organ donation etc.
The staff of ZCCK, Bangalore had a talk about organ donation in their office and to demonstrate their sincerity, that it was not just talk, they had donor cards that employees signed after informing their families. Information was also given about registering for organ transplants in case needed. The three staff members of the company who organised this hope to have a larger pool of volunteers next time in order to create more awareness.
Bangalore also saw a blood donation drive, where volunteers donated blood to be used for the needy patients in NIMHANS. There was a little disappointment amongst the organisers that not many of the nyounger generation came forward to donate, but they hope to attract more next year by using Twitter to publicise their cause.
The Institute of Health Sciences in Bhubaneshwar, organised a Seminar on Cochlear Implants, a procedure that gives life a new meaning to some of those with Hearing Impairment.
Again on the 2nd of October, the Boral Multiproject Centre, organised a health check-up camp in Kolkatta, where in a matter of around 5 hours, around 130 patients were benefitted.

Make a difference

2010-06-14T21:00:00.003+05:30

Those who find themselves unable to run in the Mumbai or the Delhi Marathons held each year, can always decide to walk for a cause. This is exactly what some employees of Maruti Suzuki decided to do during the JGW 09. The number of people who participated may be small in number, and funds raised were nil because fund raising was not their aim, volunteering for the future was. The employees organised a 'Walk for a Cause' to create awareness in society about lack of quality education for the underprivileged. They did this by requesting volunteers and concerned residents of Suncity, Sector 54 to walk holding hands on 2nd oct 09 during the JGW. The idea was to get residents to commit their time to teaching the socially disadvantaged.

And what did they learn from the event ? As they put it:

1. Awareness to the mass requires consistent and patient efforts from the people
2. Lot of efforts are required from every educated person to educate the lesser fortunate children
3. _Everything starts from within and hence one must try to help these very capable children to make our India reach pinnacle
The number of those impacted in this event were small, but as we have said earlier, each individual and every idea contributes towards spreading the collective idea, the Joy of Giving and helps make the Joy of Giving Week a success. So those who would like to participate this year, but fear they may not be able to engage or impact many, need not worry for your participation can make a difference.

In Their Words

2010-06-12T20:39:00.002+05:30

Those who have been following our posts would probably wonder how we manage to keep you all updated about the various events, big and small, that were a part of JGW 09. The fact is that the JGW team has been working hard after the festival was over, to collect and collate feedback from all those who registered their events at the JGW website (it will be up soon for you to register this year), as also with those who participated but did not register. It has been a marathon task and the efforts of those involved in the whole excercise needs to be applauded. We are copying below, a sample update that one participant sent.

Update Form

Name of the Event: Appreciation giving day
Date of the Event: 29 Sept, 30 Sept and 1 October
City/Town Where the Event took Place: mumbai
Depending on the type of event held:
Volunteering (No. of volunteers engaged/participated): ~ 350 employees in Sandoz House
Awareness (Approx. No. of people reached): >700

Donation/fundraising (Amount of funds raised):_~ Rs 45,000

A Description of how the event was:
This event was a big success with employees vying with one another to give and receive appreciation. A Rs 5 bar of chocolate was sold for Rs 10 along with a blank card. Employees could choose where their contribution went from a basket of NGOs. Employees wrote their own personal messages and handed over a bar of chocolate with a message card to anyone they chose. There was a spirit of competition with surprises announced for the top 3 givers and the top 3 receivers as well as to an Appreciation Champion who motivated employees on the floor to buy the maximum number of cards. Feedback from employees has been tremendous

Learnings from the Event held:
1. Generated a tremendous feeling of goodwill among employees and third party service staff
2. Created a buzz within the office
3. Employees felt it served a dual purpose and would like it to be repeated
Please Attach Pictures of the Event:
Unfortunately, not all participats had pictures to share but the joy of giving is felt in the words. Be a part of the joy this year. Participate in JGW '10, between Sept. 26th and Oct. 2nd. As you can see from this update, it is so easy to spread joy.

A Right to Enjoy

2010-06-09T03:12:00.002+05:30

A majority of us seem to believe that the economically disadvantaged need to be helped with food, clothes, money, medicines, education and so on. These according to us are the basics of every human and need to be met before other wants like recreation can be met. But we forget that the disadvantaged are like us and would like to experience the state of happiness we undergo when we indulge in a preferred activity but we, with good intentions, unknowingly deny them that state of pleasure and enjoyment because we believe that for them it is a luxury and when basics are missing, why should luxury be given is our reasoning.. Why should it be so? Why cannot those who do not have enough for 3 meals a day, for those who do not know where their next meal will come from and if at all it will come, also not experience joy in doing something as simple as walking on the beach, taking a bus ride, dancing to live music or watching a movie?

This was the thought that crossed the minds of some youth in Patiala and they decided that as a part of JGW 09, they would treat some economically disadvantaged children to a movie. That is just what they did and some 25 children went to watch Salman Khan’s movie ‘Wanted’ at Tagore theatre in Patiala. To those who organized the treat, the reward was the happy faces of the children as they watched a movie with popcorn and other eats thrown in. It must not have been easy for these youngsters, convincing parents to part with heir children, especially in the case of girls but their perseverance paid off and 25 happy children watched with delight as Salman Khan pranced about on screen. “They also have a right to enjoy”, was the inspiration for this treat and we must do all we can to ensure this, is the message for us.

Developing Capabilities

2010-06-08T03:01:00.004+05:30

We, who have been working behind the screens for JGW, feel overwhelmed at the manner in which the concept of the Joy of Giving Week has caught the imagination of all. We have no words to express our gratitude as companies, colleges, schools, individuals, NGOs all came forward to participate and participate wholeheartedly and meaningfully. One such thoughtful participation, is by the Sheraton Park in Chennai, which chalked out a programme for the week, from 29th Sept. to 3rd Oct. 09. Their programme, the schedule which is copied below, as you can see, focused on developing the capability of and empowering the individual, in such a manner that he or she would be better equipped to handle their lives, including their work. Nurses and domestic workers were put through a training programme to develop soft skills. The training concentrated on personal hygiene, safety standards, telephone etiquette, basic communication, grooming and so on. For those working in NGOs, the training was in Basics of Finance including Taxation.

Such training would have gone a long way in developing the confidence of the participants and enabling them to believe more in themselves. This was a really thoughtful gesture and a wonderful celebration of the Joy of Giving Week.

Daydream to Dream Day

2010-06-03T20:09:00.002+05:30

This is the title of a wonderful event held in Bhubaneshwar during the JGW 09. This was a special event for children and as the name suggests, it was an event where the organizers worked towards making the daydreams of the children come true.

Children from Sikharchandi slums of Bhubaneshwar, were taken for a joy rinde in a car, met with the famous Oriya actor hari Hari Mohapatra, went for a movie, lunch at a restaurant, ice creams at an ice cream parlour, gifts, chocolates and all that children love, especially those children who can only dream about some of the experiences they were presented with.

The number of volunteers who engaged in this event were 11, but the children who found their dreams come true were many.

Such a Dream Day, was also a part of the JGW celebrations at the Rotary Doll’s Museum in Rajkot, where entrance fee was waived for children during the duration of the week. Due to this, more than 8000 children could visit the museum, many of them from needy families. As the Project Co-ordinator of the museum Deepak Agarwal writes,

“It was satisfying to see children from lower strata enjoying the place , their astonishing eyes, priceless smiles, we thank JOG people for spreading the idea of Giving.”

But we believe that we at the JGW team need to thank those who have taken initiatives like these to spread the Joy of Giving.

JGW: Images

2010-05-31T22:23:00.010+05:30

It may sound cliched but it is true that images do speak louder than words. While we have written earlier about the tremendous interest the Joy of Giving Week generated in its year of inception, and the impact it has had in terms of raising our collective consciousness towards giving in general, a video, the link to which is copied below, reinforces all that has been said earlier. It summarises what India can be when we come together for a cause, each one of us, collectively, simply to experience the joy, the Joy of Giving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nn9JODHC2g

In case there is a problem in accessing this link, please do search for joy of giving week on YouTube and there are many videos one could watch,all of which will hopefully inspire us to come together to make the Joy of Giving Week 2010 bigger and better in terms of contribution of time and resources to those who need it.

JGW and CHILDLINE

2010-05-27T21:38:00.003+05:30

One of the invisible but enduring benefits of the Joy of Giving week, has been the linkages established between the corporates, the NGOs, the government and the private individual. All have come together to contribute time and resources, to make a difference in society. The benefits of such a linkage will hopefully be long lasting and continued.

Connections like these are what enabled CHILDLINE to organize events across India during JGW 09. CHILDLINE, a NGO, runs a 24 hour telephone Helpline for vulnerable children in distress. Initially begun in Mumbai, it currently functions in around 80 cities in India. They do need resources to help them going and the organization leveraged the opportunity provided by the JGW to raise resources and to spread joy amongst the disadvantaged children. They organized events for the whole week in cities as varied as Jammu, Gorakhpur, Kolkatta, Mumbai, Ahmedabad to name a few.

In Kolkotta, the NGO partnered with Park Hotel to host a party for children in need. In Delhi, Park Hotel again partnered CHILDLINE and raised funds through tambola and ‘Cheesecakes for a Smile’ campaign.

Ahemdabad had a complete week of outings for children who visited many places ranging from the zoo, to the Shatabdi express at Gomtipur Station to the Sabarmati Ashram. Art and craft, dandiya, drawing etc were also organized for them.

Even the small town of Gorakhpur found altruism was in full strength as small merchants and businesses came forward to print leaflets, donate resources and host tables to raise money for CHILDLINE.

Jammu had painting competitions with the involvement of Zilla parishad officials and in Mumbai, the corporates came out in full strength to support the initiatives of CHILDLINE duing JGW. Tata Tele Services, Mphasis Software, Deolitte both encouraged their employees to contribute and also patronized the cafeteria set up in these organizations by volunteers of CHILDLINE to raise funds during JGW.

But the icing on the cake was of course the contribution of Mr.Adi Godrej, who very magnamiously contributed 4 times the bid amount of Rs17,000 made by a student of ISB, who won that opportunity in ‘Shadow a CEO’, again a JGW event. The student who got the opportunity to 'shadow' Mr.Godrej, had chosen CHILDLINE as his NGO to contribute to. A wonderful way of ensuring that more children in distress continue to be helped, in the process also contributing to many smiles. Spread the joy; in the Joy of Giving Week 2010.

Give Everyone

2010-05-21T20:13:00.003+05:30

The joy of giving can't be defined or measured. It can only be felt,
again and again, in more ways than we can imagine.

These are the words used by an enthusiastic student from Aurora College Hyderabad, as he wrote to the JGW team about his experiences. The students of Aurora Degree and PG College, took it upon themselves to popularize the concept of the Joy of Giving Week in their city. Displaying great organizational skills, the students divided themselves into groups and allotted tasks for each group, and no task was considered too small for the students. So while some wrote addresses and stuck envelopes to inform all about JGW, yet others were in charge of collecting material that was being donated to be distributed to various NGOs working for those in need. The envelopes carried a message exhorting the receiver to ‘spread the joy of giving, and spread smiles.’

JGW began in this college much before it was formally ushered in on the 27th of Sept. 09. The students began their initiative on the 19th of Sept. and continued with their collection drive till the 30th, after which the goods collected were handed over personally to previously identified NGOs. The students felt they learnt a lot through this experience and look upon it as a learning one for they learnt to work as a team, to plan, to implement and then to evaluate. But perhaps the most important learning the students got was the realization that real and lasting happiness is to be found in spreading joy and smiles by giving generously and working for others. To quote a student again, “Be a part of something big, in your own small ways and put a smile on several faces including yours. Give everyone.”

Spreading Smiles

2010-05-15T16:44:00.012+05:30

When one goes through the enormous amount of feedback received from participants in the JGW 09, one wonders which of these should be written about. We have in an earlier post, spoken about measuring the impact of JGW.
http://joyofgivingweek.blogspot.com/2010/04/measuring-impact-of-jgw-09.html

Is the impact to be measured in terms of resources raised or is it to be measured in terms of people reached out to and to the smiles that lit up faces. This dilemma continues to haunt while choosing events to highlight. Much as we would like to write about all those who went out of their way to participate and make the JGW a success, it is just not possible.

Do we then choose to write about the big events wherein celebrities participated, the media was in full attendance and a lot of resources were raised, or do we focus on the small events in small towns wherein individuals came forward to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate and the reach may not have been much, but yet the impact felt was tremendous? It is the latter stories that touch ones sensitivities and inspires one to also contribute towards spreading smiles.

Just such a story has come our way. On the 2nd of October 09, a group of people from the city of Bhubaneshwar, decided to spend a day at an old age home. They write about the smiles that met them at the home, the sheer joy the inhabitants of the home displayed at their unexpected visit and ‘forbidden delights’ as the food they treated the residents of the home to was called. The visitors learnt of the deep grief most of these old people had and of their longing to be loved and welcomed. As the inhabitants shared their touching stories with the visitors, stories of abandonment, of despair, the latter found that “they had no words to console.”

Did the visitors then go away with sadness ? Not really for as one of them observed, it was only when alone that these old people were sad, otherwise the solidarity and good cheer they displayed was infectious. What then was the lesson learnt? To spread smiles and joy and devote time and give of oneself to the grandparents at home.

Truly a wonderful celebration of Gandhi Jayanthi during JGW 09.

V is for Victory

2010-05-12T08:13:00.000+05:30

A festival that lasts a week, is one that is of tremendous appeal to children, especially if it allows them to indulge in activities and exposes them to opportunities they may otherwise be deprived of. So it was for the students of Shiamak Davar’s Victory Arts Foundation. Shiamak and his band of committed volunteers, ensured that the JGW 09 was special for them and for those they encountered during the course of the week. The VAF ensured that the week had something for everyone: animal lovers, health and dance enthusiasts, those who like children, those who love partying.

This was seen in the varied activities the VAF came up with , from a dance display by children with special needs in Bangalore, to a dental camp in Mumbai, a visit to an animal shelter in Delhi, walking the strays , fund raising at the Chartered management Institute to sponsor education of the needy by teaching its employees to dance, a game of Housie in Pune, where winners were taught dance movements when they won a prize, and of course a performance by VAF Yuva students at JoyFest in Ahmedabad . With such variety, both Shiamak Davar and his students must have had some of the most joyous moments of their lives. Is it any wonder then that they call it “The best thing that’s happened this year” , and now that the giving has started, they would like it to continue.

And continue they will every year as they give freely of themselves during the Joy of Giving Week.

Coming Alive

2010-05-04T22:26:00.001+05:30

Decades ago, the Bee Gees released a popular album called Staying Alive. They sang:

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive / Well now, I get low and I get high ... Somebody help me, yeah / Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah / I'm stayin' alive.

The lyrics came to one’s mind while reading about Akanksha’s JGW 09 event. Akanksha, a NGO working with vulnerable children in Mumbai, to ensure they lead a life of dignity even if they are on the streets, had an event called Be the Change: Come Alive. Held on the 2nd of October, the concept fitted in beautifully with Gandhiji’s “Be the Change you want the world to be.”

Basically, Akanksha tried to inspire “people to reach out to others they would normally not interact with by engaging in activities they are passionate about”, and in the process helping them to Come Alive. Infected with energy and enthusiasm, both the volunteers (357 of them) and the participants came alive through varied activities as dancing, singing, staging street plays, playing with animals, photography etc.

The participants learnt a lot in the process and overcame their inhibitions to participate wholeheartedly in sharing their passion and in the process, making the world a better place, because for those few hours they were all people who were alive and as Thurman says “the world needs people who are alive.”

Safety First

2010-04-30T22:23:00.004+05:30

Joy is multiplied manifold when education is combined with entertainment and appreciation and reward. Adults the world over, work towards inculcating intrinsic discipline in their children, hoping that they do something because it is good for them. As adults, some of us follow rules without being reminded to and some of us, well.. follow rules only when we fear being caught. Nowhere is this seen more clearly than on our roads.

This was addressed in Pune, by a bunch of 40 committed volunteers, who took to the roads in Pune to appreciate and reward those drivers who maintained road discipline and safety. Called Roadstar: Positive Ticket Campaign, it aimed at identifying those who followed traffic and safety rules without being reminded to and they were “recognised and rewarded for their positive contribution and influence others to adopt similar behaviour.” Those identified were rewarded with appreciation certificates and a discount coupon ranging in amounts from Rs5 to Rs20. These coupons would entitle them to a discount on their insurance renewal. Launched on the 19th of Sept. 2009 as a part of the Joy of Giving Week, this campaign reached out to more than 1000 people at 5 main traffic signals in Pune and was so well received that it continued much after the week had come to an end..

While those rewarded would have definitely felt thrilled, what of the volunteers who co-ordinated the event ? What were the lessons they learnt and what was their reward? They learnt to deal with strangers and build good interpersonal skills but more important they learnt that being intrinsically motivated to do something is infinitely better for good work does get recognized. As for their reward, what can be better than seeing the look of puzzlement change to incredulous surprise be replaced by sheer joy on the faces of those rewarded. That was their reward; the joy, the Joy of Giving.

Dancing for Joy

2010-04-27T15:37:00.002+05:30

East met West and Bharatanatyam met Ballet in the course of an enchanting evening on the lawns of the residence of the Belgian Ambassador, in Delhi. In the open air, under a full moon, Geeta Chandran and her troupe gave the mesmerised audience of diplomats, celebrities, corporate heads and individuals a chance to view their dance performance titled 'Visions of Inner Space'. The highlight of the evening was a a dance in the Bharatnatyam style, set to the music of Swan Lake. The distinguished audience at the evening's performance glimpsed the change of seasons through movements and dance ad music.

The entire event was organised by Can Support, a NGO set up to offer pallative care for patients with cancer, as a part of its fundraising and advocacy campaigh during the Joy of Giving week 2009. The evening raised around 4 lakhs for the organisation.

While the audience enjoyed both the performance and the dinner, what of the dancers? They were happy too for as Geeta Chandran put it, she was happy to be associated with the evening for the resources raised would bring much needed medical, nursing and emotional care to patients with cancer and their families.

Combining aesthetics with entertainment with the aim of raising resources to those in need: truly a wonderful way to spread th Joy of Giving.

Spreading Warmth

2010-04-24T17:54:00.005+05:30

It is surprising to discover how a small group of committed people can spread joy, when they choose to do so. Of the many stories that have been shared with us from all corners of our country, here is one from Ahmedabad, where a group of 7 students from The Calorx School, under the guidance of 2 teachers, managed to reach out to 350 people. The event, called 'Bringing Back Warm Smiles', raised Rs10,000 which was used to buy blankets that were in turn distributed to those who needed them, in and around the city. Some blankets were also sent to those affected by the floods in Andhra Pradesh.

What was the reward for those whose only thoughts were to spread some warmth in other's lives? That is best expressed in the words of one of the volunteers: "I would like to tell you that it is a great moment to see joy on the faces of people whose hearts you have touched. We were very happy with our hard work."

And so were the teachers who were involved in this for as they put it, the students learnt to manage and organise the event, learnt to care, but most important, learnt to empathise with those in need. And snug in their own beds, the students must have felt joyous that they had managed to protect others too from the cold. That is joy, the Joy of Giving.

JGW and Earth Day

2010-04-22T16:16:00.003+05:30

Today, the 22nd of April is Earth Day and we at the JGW team are proud that as a part of JGW 09, many initiatives have been taken to nurture our planet. Last year, in interior Maharashtra, during JGW 09 the Forestry Department, undertook some activities to protect and nurture precious resources of our planet:

Some interesting things done in Maharashtra by kids were:
3288 kgs of castor seeds were planted alongside sewage canals
1,67,727 cloth bags were made from used cloth and distributed
94324 Notebooks were made of old unused pages of notebooks.

Remarkable effort on the part of theose who conceptualised these ideas and motivated children to carry them out, especially considering the little time they had to plan and complete the enormous task they had undertaken.

Some other innovative ideas were:
Kids from Buldhana district got 5517 pledges from the elders to donate their eyes 5517
In the Aurangabad Circle 19.5 liters blood were donated by officers and staff.

The adults and the children who were an intrinsic part of the whole excercise, are so enthused and derived so much joy from it all, that they have already begun to plan for JGW 2010 and this time they plan to involve all the Zilla Parishad heads to co-ordinate and follow-up on spreading joy by giving of themselves to others, during JGW 2010. In India, a majority of us look down upon the government and think that those who work for the government are indifferent to the needs of our society. We do hope that our perception changes for stories like these rebuild our faith and sustain our hope for a better future for our country.

Platters of Joy

2010-04-14T09:15:00.009+05:30

Tamilians across the globe usher in the New Year today, the 14th of April, and as they prepare to gorge on traditional delicacies, many also make it a point to donate in cash and kind to their favourite deities and to their favourite charities. One hopes that the generosity Tamilians show today, matches that displayed by the Chennaites last year at the Battle of the Buffet held as a part of JGW '09. As the name signifies, the battle is related to food, but the prize for the Battle was not the signature dishes that were lovingly prepared by Master Chefs, but the satisfaction one got from donating to a worthy cause. An initiative of Mr.Mahadevan of Oriental Cuisines and supported by 5star hotels, the event turned out to be one of the biggest fund raisers of the JGW '09 with over 50 NGos benefitting from the 90lakhs raised. More than 1800 participants paid around 5thousand each to enjoy an evening of food and music by noted singers and the money raised went to various charities. The evening was so successful that the organisers ran out of food and the volunteers had to do without. Not that they were complaining for as one of them Aarti Madhusudan, a volunteer for the JGW put it " What was interesting was that ..... it was the event where individuals, who were completely new, were giving,”

The photo has Mr.Vaghul with Mr.Mahadevan and Suhasini Mani Ratnam in Chennai. All of them have been very supportive of the JGW and Mr.Vaghul hopes that the JGW helps to create " a society where the privileged can take care of the underprivileged,"

These are words we should remember as we prepare for JGW '10 between the 26th of Sept. and the 2nd of October.

Measuring Impact of JGW '09

2010-04-11T12:02:00.004+05:30

How does one begin to measure the impact of a national movement like the JGW ? What are the parameters one could use to determine the extent of its success ? Do we measure success in terms of funds raised, in terms of visibility created for good and worthy causes, in goods donated all of which are tangible and can be quantified, or is success to be measured in how effective the movement has been in raising our collective conscience and attitude towards 'giving' in general. It is in this last that the true importance of the movement lies for it is because we as a society, were made conscious about the need to give and the joy that would result from it, that all the other tangibles could be achieved.

Though a difficult task, efforts were undertaken to measure the success of the movement and as the facts below testify, the JGW has proved to be a successful movement in spreading the culture of giving.

The reach of the JGW has been greater than one could have imagined. Over 300 events were organised in over 40 cities and small towns across the length and breadth of India by a team of 5000 volunteers and around 2lakh people participated. The events managed to raise around 10crore in money and resources, that benefitted around 20lakh. No mean achievement this.

In keeping with the unique concept of the JGW, many of the events organised were also innovative. Some of these have been written about and you will find those posts in the archives but we will refresh your memories on them in the days to come. Meanwhile, as we gear up for JGW '10 we could all make it a point to heed the words of JGW's brand ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar as he exhorts us to "Keep contributing, keep contributing better."

Welcome Back

2010-04-10T12:09:00.002+05:30

Welcome to Joy of Giving Week 2010 to be held between the 26th of September and the 2nd of October this year.

It is good to be back again to introduce the Joy of Giving Week, 2010. We have been hibernating for 6 months, but have not been idle. There has been a lot of work going on, reviewing the impact of Joy of Giving Week 2009 and planning for 2010. The tremendous response the week received in its very year of inception, has enthused us so much that plans are on to reach out to many more this year. Before we begin to talk about how each one of us could participate this year, we would like to take time off and share with you the major events and manner of participation in the Joy of Giving Week 2009 by corporates, schools, colleges, NGOs and individuals last year. You will read more about all this in the coming days but meanwhile please mark your calendars for JGW 2010, an all inclusive festival where all of us from a 'paanwallah to a billionaire' can participate and make a difference.

Till We Meet again....

2009-10-07T16:38:00.004+05:30

The first ever Joy of Giving Week, has officially ended. For those of us who have been involved with the week in some capacity, either organising, looking after the publicity, or involved with one of those campaigns to create awareness, it is as if there's a vaccum in our lives, for much of our 'waking thoughts' was related to the Joy of Giving Week. In the weeks to come, we will take stock of the feedback we receive, and perhaps brainstorm about how we can make the Joy of Giving Week, bigger and better next year.
Meanwhile, we would like to thank all those who made it their mission to inspire, to share, to give and to thank. To them we say, Thank you for the support. To those who found themselves unable to participate this year, we say, come and experience the rewards of belonging to a 'giving community'. If you would like to share with us your experiences, ideas, do mail us at jgw@giveindia.org.
We meet next in 2010, to celebrate the Joy of Giving Week, from 26th Sept. tp 3rd oct., 2010.
Thank You for being there for us and please do continue to give.

3rd Oct., Day 7

2009-10-03T20:32:00.006+05:30

The final day of the Joy of Giving Week, and we share with you a story that captures the essence and spirit of the week; a story of joyous and wholehearted giving, of expressing thanks. Mr.Sridhar and his family decided to express their thanks to the autodriver who had ferried the former's daughter to school. They invited the autodriver and his family home and besides serving them a sumptous lunch, also gave them some gifts. The smiles on the faces of the autodrivers children as they receive the gifts, says it all; the surprise, the pleasure, the joy.

These stories of ordinary citizens going out of their way to spread joy in the lives of others, are an inspiration for us. They speak to us of sharing and caring, of walking that extra mile to bring a smile to another's face, make other lives a little easier, by helping them carry their burdens. In the days to come, we look forward to more participants write in with their stories of joy and hope, and we will feature them on this blog, so that we may all learn to inspire, to share, to give and to thank.

2nd Oct., Day 6

2009-10-02T17:49:00.003+05:30

There is enough in this world for everyone's need, not everyone's greed. (Mahatma Gandhi)
Day 6 of the Joy of Giving Week, and it is also Gandhi Jayanthi. It is ironical that 16 people have been massacred by Naxalites in Bihar today. In this background, when one writes about the Joy of Giving Week, one wonders what Gandhiji would have thought of the idea of devoting a week to giving . He is sure to have appreciated it, for very few have given back as he has.
Akanksha, Mumbai, that works with underprivileged children, has earmarked today as Volunteer Day and has invited all who would like to, to share their skills and time with children.
In Patiala, Avneet Kaur, along with a group of friends will be treating underprivileged children to a free movie and snacks. Hopefully in the interaction that is likely to happen between the children and the volunteers, lives connect and change positively.
SASWAT in Orissa, also has volunteering as its aim today and members of the organisation plan to spend their day at a senior citizens' home.
It is fitting that all these events are based on the Gandhian principles of peace, non-violence, sharing and giving back to the community.While all these efforts are laudable, one also hopes fervently that we are able to sustain this giving and sharing. If Mahatma Gandhi were alive today, his message to us would be to give and continue to give. Let us pledge to do so both today and for all the days to come. giving can and should continue even when the Joy of Giving Week has come to an end.

1st Oct., Day 5

2009-10-02T05:15:00.008+05:30

Day 5 and some major events sheduled across cities: CSR Bridge 2009, an ambitious partnership between changemakers and decision makers, looking at inclusive growth, to be held in Delhi. Its mandate is to, "catalyze social change, giving impetus to developing India." It aims to do this by organising a conference "which will bring together Government leaders, Representatives of Industry, Heads of Foundations, International persons inclined to CSR missions and representatives of most effective NGOs to discuss the key issues, challenges & innovative solutions for the development sector"
A Joybazar would also be organised as a part of the CSR Bridge, giving an opportunity for NGOs to showcase their projects.
Meanwhile the Battle of the Buffet kicks off in Chennai today, with leading 5 star hotels and top restaurants cooking for a cause, by hosting a fundraiser for NGOs. A donor who makes a donation of Rs 5K to an NGO will be given an invite to this event. There is no cost to the NGO.
The other much looked for event to be held today is the Styles for Smiles, in Mumbai,where CEOs walk the ramp to raise funds. One of the unique factors of the Joy of Giving Week, besides the idea, is the manner in which it has truly turned into a 'pan India ' movement where everybody from a "paanwallah to a billionaire" has been able to participate. We had autodrivers doing Annadaanam, in Chennai 2 days ago and we have CEOs of bluechip companies walking the ramp today, all for the same cause. It can happen only in India. We are like this only. Truly we know the Joy of Giving.

30th Sept., Day 4

2009-09-30T19:39:00.002+05:30

" I will be Mr.Dependable, to those who have nobody to depend on." that is Rahul Dravid on Day 4 of the Joy of Giving Week. This statement embodies the spirit of the week and makes the commitment between the giver and the receiver very clear and categorical, in a sense saying, that this is not a one time relationship, but an ongoing one.

This in essence is what the India Giving Challenge is aiming at, by bringing together corporates with a desire to help and NGOs that need funds to carryout its activities. The Challenge has raised around 20lakhs so far, no small amount, considering that the economic climate is not particularly rosy. A spirit of healthy competition has been infused into the spirit of giving in the India Giving Challenge with prizes announced for the corporate that donates the most and the NGO that raises the most funds. Besides, the whole system is very transparent and all details are made available on the India Giving pages. http://http://www.giveindia.org/t-india-giving-challenge.aspx

In all this joy of giving, there is also a sobering thought that not all the NGOs are able to raise funds. In fact some have not managed to raise a single rupee. One really needs to introspect as to the reasons for this.

Meanwhile The Economic Times today carries an interesting write-up on Style for Smiles, another event to be held tomorrow as a part of the Joy of Giving Week, besides taking a tongue in cheek look at what the Ad agencies and their clients would gift each other as a part of the week. http://http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Brand-Equity/Give-Take/articleshow/5070423.cms

29th Sept., Day 3

2009-09-29T19:31:00.003+05:30

Too many problems and it is rather impossible to get rid of all of them, therefore every individual should change themself, No man is perfect, but if from childhood to adulthood, if everyone could change atleast one thing, the world would be a wonderful place.
Who do you think could have said these words? An adult motivational speaker, a spiritual leader, a teacher...? Wrong, wrong, wrong. These are the words used by children who have registered for the Design For Giving Event for schools. These are children from the small state of Uttarakhand (Greenway Seri Secondary School) and this is what they are attempting to change. Children have learnt what we adults have forgotten, that change has to come from within and if each of us changed, the world would surely be a better place.
Going through the website of Design For Giving http://http://www.joyofgivingweek.org/children is a wonderful experience and gives one a lot of hope that with young minds like these, life in our country can only get better. The problems these young minds are attempting to solve, range from cleanliness of the environment, recycling, controlling pollution, to doing what is also of prime importance to them, discipline in schools and changing the behaviour of the significant adults in their lives.
A government school in Bangalore, has found a solution to keeping their school clean while simultaneously indulging in their love for creating with waste. The students approached the community to donate old newspapers which was willingly done. Armed with paper, the students no longer tore pages from their notebooks and learnt to create with the old newspapers. This is the manner in which solutions are to be found: use the resources of the community within the community. It is fascinating to go through the ideas the children have and one hopes that they get all the support they deserve to ensure that they are able to implement them. One hopes that the spirit of change that has been kindled in the children, continues long after the Joy of Giving Week has come to an end. When we adults, decide to support the young, a positive change can be sustained.

28th Sept., Day 2

2009-09-28T19:14:00.005+05:30

The second day of the Joy of Giving Week, and it is also Vijay Dasami.. Good has triumphed over evil, the effigy of Ravan will be burnt, Maa durga will return to her home for another year, the display of dolls (Golu), ends today, the Navratri festival will culminate in Mysore today and the Gagra Cholis and dandias will be packed and put away in Gujarat. But in the tiny state of Himachal Pradesh, Dassera begins in Kulu today. In a sense, there is a continuity of the celebration and so it is with the festival of giving, it does not and should not end with the week.
The second day of the Joy of Giving Week, and NDTV has planned to air a special interview with Nandita Das and Imtiaz Ali, who will be talking to Prannoy Roy tonight. Nandita Das has been a vociferous supporter of the Joy of Giving Week and has committed enough of her time already to the cause. As she says: "The JGW is a small pot, and if filled with every drop that we have, it can make a big difference. ........ the festival belongs to each one of us and yet belongs to no one in particular."
The second day of the Joy of Giving Week and the auction on e-bay, for Sachin's coaching skills, Love Aaj Kal's memorablia is hotting up. The auction for Shadow a CEO, has ended and has raked in over 6lakhs, a good amount considering the bidders were all students. Meanwhile, the Vastra Samman project initiated by Goonj, is proving to be very popular amongst the givers and many have come forward to donate clothes for charity. The autodrivers in Chennai, showed the softer side of their character as they did Annadaanam to over 500 people yesterday, contributing their own money for the cause.
Joyfest, the giving festival for youth has over 85 colleges registered and the power of youth to spread the message of giving throughout the week is immense. If colleges are contributing, can schools be far behind! Over a thousand schools from across the country have registered for the Design for Giving Contest. When the young get together for a good cause, then a transformation takes place and the cause prospers. We are looking forward to this happening with the Joy of Giving Week and hope we learn from them to care more. And we end this post with a sense of anticipation as to what Day 3 of the Joy of Giving Week will bring.

27th Sept., Day 1

2009-09-27T18:37:00.003+05:30

Day 1, and we rejoice that over 200 events have been registered from all parts of india, from Jammu to Trichinapalli, and from Imphal to Rajkot. The issues that are covered range from conserving and nurturing the environment, to empowering children and adults by focussing on health, education, livelihood, life skills. The methods used to spread the spirit of giving are ingenious; whether it is the Family India Foundation's weekly task list, where the person signing up receives 7 envelopes for each day of the Joy of Giving Week, each with a task to be completed to spread the joy of giving; or the Literary Angels Book Giveaway, where readers are requested to read a blog and answer a question to be able to receive a book which is to be given to a random reader. Many are the ways in which one can give.
Day 1, and we are overwhelmed that modern India's icon, the 'little master' Sachin, has endorsed the Joy of Giving Week all the way from South Africa. Truly a master giver, when he makes time in his hectic schedule to spread the message of giving and has chosen to contribute his time for the cause both now and later. As he says in an article in The Times of india, " People from all walks of life can give. In our country there are so many less privileged, less fortunate, that any small thing we find useless can be like gold to someone else."
Day1, and we are humbled at the passion with which people have taken the message of giving to heart. From Amravati comes a mail that Dr.Avinash Saoji of PRAYAS, has undertaken a fast for the entire week and has exhorted others to fast as much as they can to promote the concept of 'Charity by Fasting'. Not only this, but the organisation has undertaken to spread the message of giving through various initiatives in the Vidarbha region.
Day 1, and we are sobered that even as we rejoice in the spirit of giving, comes the news that farmers in Andhra pradesh are selling or abandoning their new born daughters. This reminds us that we have a long way to go. The way can be made easier when we walk collectively towards a common goal. Let our goal be to spread joy through giving, both in the present and the future.

The Next 7 Days We Will..

2009-09-26T16:34:00.005+05:30

The Joy of Giving Week.

Giving Thanks

2009-09-25T21:31:00.013+05:30

In speaking about Human Rights, which was then perceived of as an idea, Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Where after all do human rights begin ? In small places close to home; so close and personal that they cannot be seen on any map of the world." And with just a day to go for the Joy of Giving Week, this is where we could start our giving, with our neighbours, with our family, with ourselves. Why ourselves? Simply because unless we can cherish, value and respect ourselves and what we enjoy, we would find it practically impossible to cherish, value and respect others. Without this feeling of being cared for and caring, it is difficult to give with joy. When one gives out of a sense of compulsion, there is no joy in it. All giving, should begin with a Thank you.
Today, let us resolve to : Give thanks for our mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, our children and friends and neighbours, to the bosses and colleagues, to all the people who care for us and who we care for.
Give thanks for the food we eat thrice a day if not more
Give thanks for our peaceful sleep
Give thanks for our good health
Give thanks for our freedom and our rights: political, civil, economic and cultural
Give thanks to the trees that blossom, the birds that chirp
Give thanks to all those anonymous hands that toil to grow our food, make our roads, run our public utility services,
Give thanks to all those protecting us from intruders, giving up their sleep so we can
We could go on for the list of those we need to thank are many and our memories short.
Above all let us give thanks for living in a country that allows us to rant and rave, and curse and bless, a country at once proud and humble, a country that disperses sorrow and joy in full measure, a country that welcomes and assimilates, a country that allows us to be. We will join hands to make this wonderful country proud by joining wholeheartedly in the Joy of Giving Week. Let us spread the word throughout India. Let us spread joy.

The 7 Day Challenge

2009-09-25T05:41:00.006+05:30

The 7 day challenge is amongst those innovative ideas that make the Joy of Giving Week, a mass movement. It is all inclusive and holds within itself, the essence of the movement, as it opens the door and gives opportunities for every single individual to participate, in a manner decided by him/ her. The experiences of those who have decided to spread joy through giving for 7 days, has been all positive; whether it is buying toys for an auto driver's son, cooking a meal and sharing it with a toothless vegetable vendor, making it up with a friend or with family,teaching the needy, making sandwiches. to distribute to the needy.... or the many more ways of helping, some of them ingenious that the participants have shared (http://7days7gifts.ning.com/), is a sure way of spreading the culture of giving.

With just 2 days to go before the week officially begins, one could still start to think of ways in which one could contribute, for the causes are many and resources few. If it is difficult to decide the manner of contribution, well help is always available. All one needs to do is check out www.joyofgivingweek.org.

Lets not wait. Lets just go ahead and make the Joy of Giving Week, a week that is truly a joy to have lived.

A Miracle

2009-09-24T05:50:00.004+05:30

We have always said giving is instinctive and it is so both in the human as well as in the animal kingdom. What else can one term it, except a miracle when a predator turns protector, in this National Geographic video.

A female leopard hunts a pregnant female baboon. While the leopard was dragging the baboon, the baboon delivers a baby. What would we normally expect to happen; that the baboon would die of neglect or possibly be eaten up. But a miracle takes place, one of those unexplained things that brings out so beautifully the wonders of nature.

http://lists.elistx.com/archives/blank/200906/wmv3fmz2HFc2N.wmv
The maternal instinct? A joy? The joy of Giving.

Hamara Bharat Mahaan

2009-09-22T19:31:00.004+05:30

The title does sound trite, but this cliched phrase describes better than any other the wonderful spirit of giving that has taken root in India, slow, but sure and growing stronger by the day.

What can we say except 'Hamara Bharat Mahaan', when we hear of ragpickers in Delhi, contributing for the upkeep of the Mobile Health Clinic that visits their slums. More details on the joy of Giving Week web page.

It is 'Hamara Bharat Mahaan' as over 1000 schools register in the Design for Giving contest inspite of the fact that September and october are usually devoted to the end of the term exams in most schools across the country.

It is 'Hamara Bharat Mahaan' as people from the slumdweller to the billionaire join forces to indulge in the true spirit of giving and sharing. With just 5 days to go for the Joy of Giving Week to officially begin, the number of registered participants is growing by the day and we are sure there are many more just forging ahead with the Joy of Giving.

Enduring Images, Inspiring words

2009-09-21T15:38:00.006+05:30

As we march closer to the Joy of Giving Week, we take a detour for some inspiration, from words and images. As an Indian living in the movie capital Mumbai, how can one not be inspired by movies!
Movies are not just magic, but also teach us life's little lessons in an entertaining way. Some movies that come to mind, that inspire one to give and share:
Iqbal: Naseeruddin Shah's life changes completely when he begins to share his time and skills with Iqbal as does Iqbal's.
Fiddler on the Roof: The most cheerful giving movie ever. Poverty does not stop Topol from sharing and offering help to those less fortunate. Even his rantings against his poverty are made with a goodwill, difficult to aquire.
Shwaas: The poignant story of a grandfather who fights to save his grandson's eyes.
The Bucket List : Two terminally ill patients make a list of all the things they wanted to do and never did and the friendship that is a result of their shared illness.
Children's films like Halo, Makdee, Annie, bring about the spirit of giving and sharing and helping in a cheerful and funfilled way.All these movies invoke a wonderful spirit of nurturing, so very essential in order to give.

And for those who have lost touch with the reasons for giving, some words to remind us:
"What do we live for if not to make the world less difficult for each other." (George Eliot)
"It is better to give when asked, but better to give unasked through understanding."
(Gibran)
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." (Anne Frank)
To Kill a Mocking Bird, is amongst those books that teach without preaching. Respect, tolerance, empathy are beautifully imbibed by the characters in the book and by the readers also, again, all of which is a pre-condition to experience the joy of giving.
Amongst children's literature, there is Charlotte's Web, The Prince and the Swallow, The Selfish Giant, the many folk tales of India, retold by A.K.ramanujam, all of which deal with transformation in individuals through their act of giving.
Images and words endure and reinforce our will and desire to give. If you would like to share your list of books, movies, quotes, please post them here. Sharing ideas and knowledge is one of the best forms of giving and endures for generations long after the edifice we have helped construct has crumbled into dust.

Religion and Giving

2009-09-21T06:36:00.006+05:30

"Shraddhaya deyam
Ashraddhaya adeyam,
Shriya deyam,
Bhiya deyam
Hriya deyam,
Samvida deyam,”

Give with faith,
Do not give without faith
Give with a sense of plenty,
Give with sympathy,
Give with humility,
Give with knowledge.

This verse from the ‘Taittariya Upanishad’ speaks about the best way to practice charity. When we are asked to ‘give with faith’, we are basicaally exhorted to think and take individual decisions on our giving and to question the cause we are giving to. The receiver or the cause should be worthy of our gift. This is something that we have been advocating and hence the List of Events link on the home page of the Joy of Giving Week, where those seeking to raise resources, are free to register their own events and donors can excercise their independent judgment and choose.

‘Daan’ (giving/ charity) is mentioned in the ancient texts of Hinduism and it is a part of religion. There is the Zakat which is the third Pillar in Islam, the daan in Hinduism, charity is one of the five Anuvratas of the Jains, the Adhyatmak karma establishes communion between man and god in Sikhism through charitable acts which also has ‘wand kay sakho’(sharing the fruits of one’s labour) as one of its tenets, Judaism speaks of sharing and exhorts one to give 10% of one’s earnings to the needy (the word tithe orginiates from this) and so on.

As India gears up to celebrate Id ul Fitr and Navratri simultaneously, let us all collectively spare a thought for the less fortunate; less fortunate not just in terms of material goods, but also in terms of opporunities denied, love withheld and human rights unexcercised. Let us resolve therefore to give in plenty, not
just money, but our time, our love, our goodwill and our joy. With just a week to go for the Joy of Giving Week, let us start now to give with joy. The Joy of Giving.

Cynicism and Joy of Giving Week

2009-09-18T20:33:00.001+05:30

Cynicism and the Joy of Giving Week ? Sounds absurd does’nt it ? But why is it dificult to believe that the JGW will not have critics ? Is it because it is an idea that promotes altruism and so is to be considered universally and unconditionally acceptable? When one really thinks about the concept, there is much to commend. But this does not mean that there is nothing to criticise. Since we have been writing about the commendable features of the JGW concept, we should be fair enough to present the cynical viewpoint also.

In discussions with others about the Joy of Giving Week, one of the main areas of criticism is that the concept is being marketed as a brand. If giving is a part of our lives and is inherent, then why does a week have to be devoted to it, is the common refrain. Is the week more important than the giving, is another. Should we stop giving just because the week is over, is a third. And the ‘unkindest cut of all”, the celebrities need to build on their brand image and increase their ad value so they chip in for these causes, is the fourth. And so on….

It would be very easy for us to ignore these comments, for after all those who are critical are free to choose not to participate. However, since we are calling it a movement where every Indian from a ‘paanwallah to a billionaire’ can participate, it is essential to answer these queries and doubts.

Why is the Joy of Giving Week being marketed so aggressively. Simply because in order to transform the ‘ joy of giving’ into a national movement, in the shortest possible time, one needs to market the idea. What better way of doing this than through celebrities who are devoting their time and skills for the cause without any expectations and are not charging for their time. On the contrary, they are giving what they would be getting to participate in the week. (Shadow a CEO, Sachin auctioning his skills) are just a few of the examples that come to mind in this regard.

Does ‘giving’ have to stop when the week is over? Not at all, in fact we would like the movement to continue. The Joy of Giving Week, we hope, will provide momentum to the act of giving. And that, is its true purpose; to reconnect us with our inherent natue and remind us to share, to appreciate, to pause and thank, to proclaim “this is for you” and watch a smile light up the face. That is joy, the Joy of Giving.

Random Thoughts

2009-09-18T05:03:00.000+05:30

On going through the List of Registered Events at the Joy of Giving home page, one is struck by the fact that out of the 109 events listed so far, nearly 70 events look forward to raising funds for a cause. The ratio may change in the days to come and perhaps more volunteering opportunities present themselves. We do hope so, for while fund raising is important and essential to work towards an equitable society, by itself it is not enough to sustain it. To do this, one needs to commit oneself personally, give of one's time as it were. As committing our time is difficult for most of us, we donate funds or other resources. But even when we do so, we could take the extra effort to find out how the organisation is doing, whether the funds are being utilised for the purpose they were meant, does the organisation need help in planning the distribution of funds, more important is the organisation in a position to continue working towards its mission.

Advocacy and awareness campaigns, are other areas that could do with more help. They are important in themselves, for not only do they draw attention to a cause, but they are also pointers of larger inequities or of areas needing attention. It is heartening that at least 30% of the events registered so far are related to one of these twom activities.

One of the amazing aspects of the Joy of Giving Week, is the out of the box thinking shown by most participants. Whether it is an individual event like the 7 day 7 Gift Challenge ( www.7days7gifts.ning.com), or a NGO intitative undertaken by Akanksha Foundation, 'Be the Change Come Alive' (www.akanksha.org), or steps taken by a corporate to impact our environment and create awareness about our carbon footprints by 'Make My Trip', the dominant factor in all these is the ingenuity with which the aim is to be achieved.

All these initiatives truly bring back the 'Joy of Giving'. When we participate in the Joy of Giving Week, we can look forward to a week of fun and joy.

Update and a Story

2009-09-16T16:59:00.000+05:30

With less than two weeks to go for the Joy of Giving Week to begin, (it begins on 27th Sept.), there is more clarity amongst the registered participants. Individuals, corporates and NGOs will be a part of the week and the events they would be organising, cover a wide range of issues and areas : environment, education, health, animal rights, to name just a few. All of them are covering various aspects like, creating awareness, prevention, fund raising, call for donations . However, what is admirable is that a majority of the registered participants are not looking for resources. On the contrary, the participants are arranging for their own resources. At the time this is being written, there are a total of 103 events listed on the Joy of Giving Week homepage. It is inspiring that the registered participants come from not just the metros, but from even smaller places like Rajkot. Our message of giving has spread to many areas, and by the time the week begins, we hope all of India will be aware of the week and will work towards spreading joy. When the awareness campaign for the Joy of Giving Week, is telecast, we are sure that participation will increase.

For a complete list of events do visit the home page and see how you can contribute.If you have new ideas on giving, please do share them with us.

We at the Joy of Giving Week team are sure that there are many participants who have perhaps not registered as a participant but are determined to be a part of the week and contribute towards its success. As each one of us decides to spread the joy of giving, it would do us good to remember an incident in giving, related to an old woman and Mahatma Gandhi.
Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh. During one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey and her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting. “I must see him,” she insisted and going up to Gandhiji touched his feet. Then from the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin and put it away carefully. The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused. “I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh,” Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly “yet you won’t trust me with a copper coin.” “This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands,” Gandhiji said. “If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn’t mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore of rupees"

Inspiring Stories

2009-09-14T18:11:00.001+05:30

It is amazing how one comes across so many inspirational stories on giving now. Were these stories not written before or were they dismissed as 'emotional stuff'? In a way, being a part of the Joy of Giving Week, has increased ones awareness about the inspirational potential of these 'joy of giving stories'.

Some days ago, on Teachers' day, we had written a post requesting readers to 'give back' to their school, college, teachers. In our post 'A Giving profession', we had written :
As we ready ourselves for the Joy of Giving week, let us commit ourselves to give to those who have contributed to our being able to think and to learn; are responsible for our success as it were. Visit your old school, meet your teachers, set up an alumni fund, repay the debt in part for it can never be repaid in full. Let your teacher know that what he / she is, is important and has made a difference

Coincidentally, Outlook carries an article on just that; how a teacher of Tamil in a small school, has been gifted a house by his students, because he was struggling to maintain himself in his old age. The story is aptly titled 'To Sir With love'.

And today, in the Inbox was yet another inspirational true story, this time a direct result of a participant registering herself for the 7 day 7 gifts challenge, that we mentioned in our previous post. This is also a little indirectly about teachers and teaching, on the importance of literacy and on the joy of gifting books.

Those who have experienced such 'joy of giving'will not only exhort others to give, but will continue to do so themselves, thus increasing the general happiness quotient. Share your giving stories with us and inspire others to give. Meanwhile here are links to the two stories we have written about.

http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?261798
http://blog.prathambooks.org/2009/09/literacy-day-true-story.html

The Joy of Giving Week.

How Can We Give ?

2009-09-12T22:15:00.001+05:30

How can we give,
Let us count the ways.....
Numerous are the ways by which we can express our solidarity for the Joy of Giving Week. The most important of these is to participate. Most of us will have our own ideas of the ways in which we would like to participate, but to get us started and probably make it easier, we have listed a few of those.

How can you be part of the Week? Here are 10 simple ways to do so...

1.Participate in any of the events in your city listed at www.joyofgivingweek.org.
2.Donate clothes as part of Goonj’s Vastrasamman campaign- see www.goonj.info
3.Donate money through the India Giving Challenge at www.GiveIndia.org/IGC
4.Volunteer during the Week- www.ivolunteer.in for more
5.Sign up for the 7 days 7 gifts challenge at www.7days7gifts.ning.com.
6.Donate one day's salary through your company to a cause of your choice via GiveIndia
7.Tata Indicom subscribers will get a chance to donate Rs30 by SMS- wait for the message that will hit our inbox during the Week. You can donate as many times as you want!
8.Donate books at Oxford Bookstores and get a 15% discount on new purchases or donate books through www.karmayog.org
9.Organise “fun”draising events in your office, neighbourhood, school or college- Housie/tambola, food fests, amateur performances and exhibitions and donate the proceeds!
10.Doctors, Lawyers, Designers, etc. can offer services free to the poor
11.Celebrate Green Week by reducing your carbon footprint
12.Children participate in www.designforgivingcontest.com and youth in www.joyfest.in

So wear your thinking caps, get ideas from www.joyofgivingweek.org, plan what you can do, rope in as many people to join you as you can, and get going!

You can register your event on the website, offer or seek resources from others. You can also write to jgw@giveindia.org or call the Joy of Giving Week Helpline at 022-67876345 for more information

Why Do We Give?

2009-09-12T10:40:00.000+05:30

It might seem absurd to ask the question “why do we give?”, now when one has been writing about various aspects of giving for a month. Is it necessary to understand our motive for giving ? Is giving a learnt behaviour or is it an inherent one ? Does motivation for giving stem from a common cause or does it vary across communities and cultures ? Do we need to answer these questions? Is it not more important to continue giving ?

To answer the last question first, it is definitely essential to continue giving. Discovering the answers to the other questions will help us to sustain our giving. We have in other posts presented the view that ‘giving’ is inherent and instinctive. Witness a newborn mother with her child, whether in a 5 star hospital or in a remote village at home, there is a spontaneous joy and an immediate need to protect and nurture. That is ‘giving’. A child grows up with this basic desire to share and the experiences of sharing and giving, when positive, increases this and he / she grows up to be a ‘giving’ person. The positive experience one is talking about is what economist James Andreoni calls the ‘warm-glow theory’., where he argues that internal motives for giving are more important than having a building named after one, or saving on tax by contributing to charity. The feeling that one has contributed towards making the world a better place, is what leads to the glow and so one continues to give.

To get a little personal here, I experienced this ‘warm glow’ last afternoon at school, when I cooked lunch(rajma and rice) for a group of girls. Do these girls not have enough to eat ? Of course they do, 3 proper meals a day. Have they not tasted rajma earlier ? They have, probably tastier rajma at home. Then why were the girls and by extension, I, “feeling so nice” (to use their words), at this simple lunch ? Probably because it made them feel special that their teacher took the trouble of personally cooking lunch for them. It made them feel wanted and cherished and their happiness at such a simple gesture made me feel good, so good that I have rashly promised other classes home cooked lunch as well. ( The warm glow can make us irrational sometimes !!!)

That is why we give : to cherish, to nurture, to protect, to better, circumstances, people, the world. Indigenous cultures have understood this concept very well and not for nothing is it said “It takes a whole village to raise a child” (African proverb). As we move away from the traditional way of life, we have also lost touch with many of our basic instincts of sharing and the Joy of Giving Week is a reminder to us to connect with and reinforce our innate need to give and to share.

Countdown Begins

2009-09-10T19:17:00.000+05:30

With just 17 days to go for the Joy of Giving Week, we at the JGW team are amazed and touched by the widespread response to the week. CEOs, actors, sportspersonalities, professionals, dabbawalas, rickshawdrivers; have all confirmed their participation and will work at making a difference in the lives of others. While this is inspiring and encouraging in itself, it is the participation of college and school students that is overwhelming. When the young participate willingly and resolve to make a positive difference, then we can say with conviction that lasting changes are on their way to transform the fabric of Indian society to make it more equitable.

The press coverage and endorsements by the well-known from all walks of life may have made it easier for us to get our message of giving across, but large scale participation can only be possible when the idea of 'a week of giving' catches the imagination of the people. The fact that we have been able to do this, is probably because we have managed to touch a chord in the hearts and minds of most. The desire to give has been dormant in most of us and the idea of the Joy of Giving Week, has seen this desire come alive. What is also heartening is that individuals are coming forth with creative and innovative ideas on how they would be contributing, reaffirming our faith that the 'culture of giving' has spread.

Meanwhile, today's Indian Express carries a story on how a teacher is bringing about remarkable changes in interior Madhya pradesh in a caste ridden village, through the medium of education. (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/colours-of-knowledge-on-walls-of-hope/515163/) Such stories are our inspiration and our hope and reinforce our strong belief that we are a nation of 'givers'. So let us join all those who are a part of the Joy of Giving Week and help make a difference. If you have ideas on how one can participate, please share your comments here or register on our website (www.joyofgivingweek.org) and share your ideas.

Anonymous Givers

2009-09-08T18:07:00.000+05:30

"Almost everyone regardless of income, available time, age and skills can do something useful for others and in the process strengthen the fabric of our shared humanity." Bill Clinton

There are many unknown, unsung people in India and abroad who have been giving of their time and skills to society and in the process have passed on their collective wisdom and knowledge that sustains society. One such organisation is the Explorers and Adventurers in Mumbai. Establised more than four decades ago, the members of the club not only share a common passion for the mountains, but also share a common desire to kindle this passion in the younger generation. The members, most of whom are working full time, or are older students or have other responsibilities, give freely and ungrudgingly of their time and skills, to accompany school children on treks, on adventure camps, teach them rock climbing and organise other adventure related activities, and see to it that not only do the children enjoy themselves, but that they also simultaneously learn valuable lessons for life : sharing, mutual respect, team work, responsibility and most important learn to respect our environment. The members ensure that the camps they organise are enjoyable, non-threatening experiences and often go out of their way to organise birthday celebrations for children in out of the way locations, complete with cake, candles and wafers and their reward is the look of disbelief and happiness on the face of the child. The Explorers and Adventurers has truly understood the Joy of Giving.

These are the people and organisations that we need to remind ourselves about as we prepare for the Joy of Giving Week. Let us resolve to give not just for today, but for all the days to come; not just to the known, but to all the unknown. Let giving be our passion....