The Power of One

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.

2nd Oct., Day 6

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.

Update and a Story

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"