On giving

….contd…..

Then there is the requirement of regular items like soaps, paste, hair oil, clothes. These requirements is in old age homes, orphanages, charity homes for disabled and such charity run organizations. They even take old (but wearable) clothes. You can donate your old clothes to these organizations or to street dwellers.

Our winters are very chilly and we find it unbearable in the confines of our safe houses. Imagine how kids on streets survive these winters? One rug costs just around Rs.100/150-. Donate atleast one/year. If each one of us does this, there’ll be less deaths because of cold on streets.

Those of you who’ve a group (say of friends or relatives who are ready to donate a small sum each) can donate a pair of dress to the entire class/school in a Government school or an organization like a home for disabled. I’ve seen schools in villages where total children number only around 50 and their school dress would cost just around Rs.10,000/-. Not too high for a group of 10-20. These kids get to wear good and new clothes for whole of 2-3 years. That’s good investment. Don’t you think?

Food: first and foremost requirement of survival is food. We eat 21 times /week and that makes 104 times/month. I am not counting snacks and drinks that we have in between. So, would it be a burden to give about just 10 food packets/month to ten people? If not, start atleast with 5 packets. Those of you who have an excuse ‘I don’t want my family to know I do and so can’t ask my mother/sister to cook for me. I would love to donate but because of above reason can’t’ – I’ll give a solution. Now-a-days, you get rotis for Rs.3-4/- per roti at curry points. Ask them to make 5 packets of roti+curry. Let each packet have 2 rotis + one curry. It’ll cost max of 3*2=6+4=10/packet. So, total would be Rs.50/- only. I am sure each one of you can surely afford that much. That’s much less than your internet connection or phone bill!

Before moving on to other forms of charity, I would like to share a small story that set this bug of charity in me. This story also told me that ‘only one kind of charity’ won’t do. I’ve to do every type of charity – only then it would be complete.

One lady was used to distribute /serve food to all. Someone asked her the reason and she replied “when karna (character from Mahabharath, son of Queen Kunti) died, he went to heaven. As he was a great philanthropist, he was given special quarters filled with all comforts of the heaven and also filled with the riches of heaven. He was given a guided all through the day through all the quarters where he saw abundance of riches. As evening fell, he became restless and asked the guide ‘you are showing me all types of riches since morning but haven’t served food till now. I am famished so please give me something to eat’. To this his guide replied that he was not to let Karna eat anything. Karna was surprised and asked the reason for which his guide said ‘you donated lots of riches on earth but never once gave food. Since, you didn’t donate food, you wouldn’t receive it here. You’ll receive whatever you’ve donated only’.

…contd….