January 12 OIOP issue - Philanthropy

The Art of Sharing

 Philanthropy is not new to India. The country has had a tradition of giving (daan) to the poor and needy, either as religious or moral obligations. However, statistics show that the culture of giving has diluted over time. In the World Giving Index created by the Charities Aid Foundation, India ranks a poor 134^th out of 153 nations in terms of the percentage of population that gave to charity. It is ironic that people’s generosity has reduced at a time when the country boasts of rapid economic growth and of significant rise in the numbers of its millionaires.

Of course, we have our own wealthy industry barons like Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, Narayana Murthy, who have been contributing from their personal wealth to improve the socio-economic condition of the masses here. However, philanthropic deeds of a few billionaires will not be enough to eradicate poverty or bridge the wide gap between India’s rich and poor. What we really need is to build a sustainable philanthropic model by creating a culture of giving in individuals from an early age. Few would disagree with industrialist Anand Mahindra, when he says that “perhaps the real challenge lies not in getting five people to donate $5 million once but in getting five million people to donate Rs5 every year.” After all, haven’t we all heard of the maxim— “Every drop makes an ocean?”

At One India One People, we decided to ring in the New Year by doing our own bit of promoting philanthropy by doing an entire issue on the theme. Our expert writers give us their views on the art of sharing.

In the lead article, Noshir H. Dadrawala, Chief Executive, CAP (Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy), a non-profit working in the niche area of helping all types of philanthropic organisations (donor or donee) in India stay legally compliant and well-governed, tells us how the concept of giving has evolved in India and how contemporary philanthropy is about promoting the welfare, happiness and culture of everyone in a society.

While we may not agree with donating 50 per cent of our personal wealth, it is imperative that new Indian models of giving are created to help high impact non-profit organisations achieve scale. The time has come for Indian millionaires and billionaires to provide these entities with not just recognition but also funding to tackle the complex issues fuelled by poverty, writes Deval Sanghvi, founder and CEO of Dasra, India’s leading strategic philanthropy foundation.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, yogi, visionary, humanitarian and prominent spiritual leader, says that Philanthropy could become an enterprise, rather than just about giving away a chunk of money and saying that it is done. Philanthropy also needs the benefit of human ingenuity, he adds.

Dr. Ravi Prakash Achanta, who has done extensive research in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility and corporate philanthropy, opines that bringing business and philanthropic interests into harmony creates a win-win situation for companies as well as for their philanthropic initiatives as it not only delivers far greater benefits to society and the people it is trying to help but also has a real impact on the company’s long-term success.

Nisha Purushothaman, founder of Think Strategic that supports the communication, fundraising, and strategic requirements of voluntary organisations in India, shares some of the key factors that non-profit organisations need to focus on for successfully raising funds and long term sustainability.

Thryza Dow, NGO Relationship Manager with Samhita, an online portal for NGOs and CSR advisory service provider, writes that with the development sector going through a period of transformation and global knowledge and practices entering the Indian philanthropic scene, it is important to organise NGOs into an accredited association.

P. M. Kamath, formerly Professor of Politics, Mumbai University and currently Hon. Director, VPM’s Centre for International Studies, says that for individuals and non-profit organisations involved in social work in India, raising funds to support their cause is a huge challenge, unless they have personal contacts with eminent business heads of big companies. 

Philanthropy has always been regarded as an activity of the wealthy and not the middle class. But Ramakrishna N.K and Smita Ramakrishna, the founders of Rang De, India's first online platform for providing small loans to the very poor thought otherwise. Their venture is based on the sheer might of the burgeoning middle class and it has worked well. Anuradha Gupta, a freelance writer currently based in London, reports.

Know India Better – This issue we travel to Kerala to visit nature in its finest form. Braving nettles, leeches and other blood-sucking creatures, Akul Tripathi, media professional and freelance writer, goes forth to explore the forests in South India and comes to realise the wisdom in the words which describe forests as God’s first temples.

Face to Face – Yashveer Singh, Founder and Director, NSEF (National Social Entrepreneurship Forum), a youth focused non-profit organisation, spoke to OIOP about the current trends in social entrepreneurship in India. 

In the ‘General’ section, Jashwant H. Mehta, a strong advocator of ‘Presidential Democracy’ writes that instead of dividing  bigger states for better governance, what we really need is to improve the quality of governance.

Great Indians:

 Girish Chandra Ghosh (1844-1912) – A poet, dramatist, actor, novelist and a thinker, Girish Chandra Ghosh was a man of multiple talents. He is referred to as the father of Bengal theatre for his immense contribution to the field.

Lt General Nathu Singh (1902-1994) – He was a distinguished Army officer who served with loyalty and integrity. Though Lt Singh did not receive any accolades that he deserved, he always put his best foot forward, which brought laurels to the nation.

A. P. Mitra (1927-2007) – Prof. Ashesh Prasad Mitra did pioneering work on the ionosphere and climate change and worth with distinction the mantle of his guru Prof. Sisir Kumar Mitra, FRS.

 The issue also covers other thought-provoking and insightful regular columns on environment, current affairs, patriotism, culture and vedic maths.

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