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  It is the best gift I have ever received.

  22

  The Meaning of Philanthropy

  One day, I attended a wedding in the family and met my friends and relatives after a long time. Since we were guests and not part of the organizing committee, there was plenty of time for us to chat. Everybody was giving updates about their lives as we sat in a group when the conversation moved to the topic of giving back to our country and society.

  One of the women opined, ‘Philanthropy needs a lot of time. Also, a woman must be financially strong and have fewer responsibilities at home. Assuming that there are no other hobbies that she is passionate about, it is possible to pay attention to charitable work.’

  ‘I think it is all to do with unpaid debts,’ remarked a cousin. ‘If a person has taken assistance from someone in a previous lifetime and they haven’t repaid that debt, be it financially or physically, then the person must repay the debt in this lifetime. So, all it means is that philanthropists have taken a lot of help in their last birth and are simply repaying those debts now.’

  Another woman said, ‘You don’t need talent when it comes to distributing money for charity. It is nothing but a way to pass time.’ Then she looked at me with a friendly smile and asked, ‘You are from the industry. What do you think?’

  I knew that the intentions of my family and friends weren’t bad at all. So, I did not get hurt or feel upset. With time, I have become insensitive to unhelpful comments and more sensitive to causes. I explained to them as best as I could. ‘In my long journey of philanthropy,’ I said, ‘I have met many people who have helped others, irrespective of their circumstances. For instance, some of them did not have any money, some had a little, while there were others who had more than they would ever need. The only thing you really need to be a philanthropist is the attitude and determination to assist others.’

  ‘Give me an example,’ said one of them.

  ‘Of course I will. That is the best way to convince you. You must have travelled at least once from the Badami railway station to the town. There are huge neem trees on either side of the road. The story goes that there once lived a lame man who wanted to make a difference. So, he planted neem saplings all by himself on both sides of the road. In the old days, there was sufficient rain and not much global warming. So the plants grew into trees. Today, however, no one remembers his name and all that remains is a story of an unknown lame man who provided shade to all the future travellers on that road. Tell me, isn’t that an act of charity?’

  There were ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the women sitting around me.

  ‘Tell us more,’ a few chorused. I noticed more people joining our group.

  ‘Well, there is a well-known urologist in Bangalore named Dr Sridhar. He lived and worked abroad before making a decision to come back to the country. He could easily have decided otherwise and worked for a private hospital in a foreign land and earned much more money. Instead this doctor lives with his family in a two-bedroom rented home for the last thirty-one years and works every day towards fulfilling his dream of providing a professional opinion and helping people, with complete disregard to financial consideration. He has found a way to do this by making a clear demarcation in the way he works. He sees patients in the morning and charges his usual fees. However, in the evening, between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., he sees each patient for free, irrespective of the income of the patients. Thus, he balances both parts of his life with sincerity.

  ‘When I asked him the secret behind his noble deed, he said, “I have a very understanding and supportive wife and encouraging children, who have allowed me to go down this road. I wouldn’t have been able to do so without them.” That’s when it hit me that even in philanthropy, great things cannot be achieved without family support.’

  I saw a few nods in the group.

  I continued. ‘Recently, I was in Jaipur for work. While I was travelling in the city, my driver stopped to go to a dhaba and have tea. While waiting, I saw a beautiful farm surrounded by a boundary wall. There was a patch of green vegetables between the boundary wall and the road, and I saw a gardener working there. Curious, I went up to him and started a conversation. “Why are you working outside the boundary? Who does this patch belong to?” Just then, a big and strong man came out of the farm and headed towards the patch. When I asked him the same question, he invited me to come inside and have a look. I went in and immediately realized that the land belonged to a rich family. When I threw some more questions at the man, he said, “This is my ancestral land. I realize deeply that there are others who do not have land and are not as fortunate as I am. So, I decided to grow a few simple vegetables like coriander, spinach, fenugreek and other green leafy ones in the patch outside. The gardener has been instructed to take care of it in the same way that he takes care of the rest of my land. I have also told him to let anyone take the vegetables from there without question. He must only do his work with sincerity.”

  ‘I was surprised. “Who takes the vegetables?” I asked.

  “There are many labourers who work around here. They come and pick some up.”

  “What happens if a person who isn’t poor takes it?”

  “Then I feel nothing but pity for him or her, but we don’t say anything. I have been doing this for many years now, and everyone in this area knows that poor people get free vegetables from this garden.” I was amazed at his quiet benevolence.’

  I looked around and saw everyone listening with rapt attention. A cousin smiled and asked me to continue with a show of her hand.

  ‘Let me tell you of another incident. In Rajasthan, people believe that giving free water to people is a pious act, especially in the summer. I saw mud pots on the side of the road that were almost always filled with water for passers-by. One day, I saw a man taking away the mud pot. Unable to contain my inquisitiveness, I asked him, “Why are you carrying this? This must always be kept filled and on the side of the road.”

  ‘The man gave me a slight smile. He said, “Behenji, people happily fill water in the pots, but what they fail to realize is that the same pot can become a source of infectious diseases if nobody cares to clean it. So, once the pot is empty, my job is to thoroughly clean it and only then fill it with drinking water.”’

  ‘Ah!’ The crowd around me chorused.

  A friend remarked, ‘I know many autorickshaw drivers in the city who drive old and sick people and pregnant women free of charge once a week.’

  ‘Yes, that’s exactly what philanthropy is about. Philanthropy is a Greek word where philos means loving and anthropos means man. Just like the autorickshaw drivers, the people I spoke about were not rich. Some were middle-class and some were poor. So, it isn’t about how much a person has but their attitude towards fellow beings. It is compassion, a kind word, a warm hug and a little sharing that makes us better human beings. If we are lucky enough to be rich, then we can help more people. If a person can be a leader with compassion and a good attitude, then he or she can make a definite change in society. Don’t you think?’

  A murmur of agreement and hopeful sighs went through the group, even as someone announced that it was time for us to head to the next room for the wedding meal. Quickly, the group split into smaller clusters as we headed towards some well-deserved lunch.

  By the Same Author

  FICTION

  Dollar Bahu

  Mahashweta

  Gently Falls the Bakula

  House of Cards

  The Mother I Never Knew

  NON-FICTION

  Wise and Otherwise

  The Old Man and His God

  The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk

  Something Happened on the Way to Heaven (Ed.)

  Three Thousand Stitches

  CHILDREN’S

  How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories

  The Magic Drum and Other Favourite Stories

  The Bird with Golden Wings

  Grandma’s Bag of Stories

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