Year 3, Day 7, Oct. 8th

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

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

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 :

1. 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
2. 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.
3. Signature dish continues at the Marriott
4. Inspector Rajalakshmi continues her training
5. 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

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

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

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

1.  group of 15 children with Downs Syndrome will be serving food to beggars outside the Balaji temple in T Nagar. 
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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

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........

All Aboard

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

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

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

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

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

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.....

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

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

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

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......

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

'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.