Mutual Giving
Trump is still to concede. Biden-Harrris are getting ready. Jill-Duglas are getting ready.
Bihar votes NDA again (125/243). It was a close contest. MIM too gets 5 seats. Nitish may contine as CM, for one lst time. BJP as a dominant partner. Tejaswi offers promise and has to get ready for the next elections. Bypolls across the country – BJP gets majority. Dubbaka chooses BJP, in a tight race.
We remain hopeful. And we get going. Largely unaffected. Into Deepavali days.
Arvind Ojha succumbs to CoVID. URMUL Trust CEO and Secretary, leading change for vulenerbility-poverty reduction and empowerment. Part of Sanjoy Ghose’s founding team at URMUL Trust, along with him. URMUL – Uttar Rajasthan Milk Union Ltd – came up in 1972 under Operation Flood. In 1984, URMUL Trust under the aegis of URMUL has come into being at Lunkaransar. Largely for healthcare. Corpus has come through 3 paise per litre of URMUL. 1987 drought affected ann, jal and char. Just then, I visited their Lunkaransar Campus. The URMUL Trust moved to work in famine relief, livelihoods, collective action, apart from Health, Education. Into Integrtaed development. Now in 150 villages in Thar. Working with livestock rearers. Working with weavers. In due course, it has become an umbrella orgnization for the desert – Urmul Sethu at Lunkaransar, UMBVS – Urmul Marusthali Bunker Vikas Samiti (of Weavers), Urmul Seemant at Bajju, Urmul Jyoti (eyecare), Urmul Khejadi at Nagaur, Vasundhara (wool et al), Abhivyakti.
While we missed meeting Sanjoy, we could meet Sumita, and familiar with Rangsutra. We could meet Arvind and their producer companies and marketing company. His daughter, Jaya is a young friend. Professor in Central University of Rajasthan. URMUL Family of Institutions and their leadership continue to serve ‘Desert’, inspire India and generations to come.
Arvind, we get going. Continue to inspire us to be at it.
Education. For having choices and exercising. For living and leading. For celebrating life. Each one of us. Tools, Skills, Wisdom for this. Having balanced minds which cannot be misled. With New Education Policy around, are we having ‘the state’ caring our 1000-days to up to 18 years mandatorily to all, satisfactorily? Or is it another ‘bogey’?
And some of us got this kind of education, in some way. Are we not there to ensure that this happens to more of us? Seriously. Let us pay back. Let us get back to pay back. Let us work on more into it. Another 10,000 hours idea for us.
Azim Premji was most generous during the year. Rs.8,000 Crore. Two-thirds of the donations of the year. Miles ahead of others. These include Shiv Nadar, Mukesh Ambani, Kumaramangalam Birla, Anil Agarwal. Most philanthropy amount is going to education, followed by Poverty Reduction. Chandras donate Rs.27 Crore during the year. Rohini Rs.47 Crore. All this is mostly personal wealth. This is a self-actulized individual’s social responsibility. To be differentiated from corporate social responsibility.
All of us may not be blessed with rupee riches. For many, their wealth may be time, energy, talent, skills, expertise, experience. Can they provide to the people who need? Can they be more catalytic? Can they be more leveraging? Can they invest in finding solution at the root? Can they invest into impacts? Can they invest into responsble social enterprises and business? Can they be thankful for the opporunity to serve, service, support?
CSR reviews broadly conclude that financial contributions alone are not enough. Some companies hve set up their own trusts and they manage them. Some do it as part of their main ‘business’ itself. Some give as donation to an entity that works on the ground. Today CSR appears bigger than other civil society. With FCRA rules, Civil Society may transform into CSR civil society. Manadatory CSR hs brought in more funds, some Rs.10,000+ Crore/year; venture funds for entrepreneurship; more reporting; more training to professionals; more funds to government(s). In some sense, these funds brodly offset the decline in funds from other sources incluidng government and FCRA funds. However, these are not systematic – funds agaisnt plans, most often. Funding innovations has not picked up yet.
Is CSR an additional tax of some 2% or does it contribute creatively to a better world? It canot be a tax. It cannot be a guilt money. It is important that gullt should not be happening. What should be happening is Ethical business. Responsible buisness. Caring business.
A discussion point for several days on how the philanthropies work. Trusts, Foundations. Endowments. CSR Foundations. Foreign Foundations operating in the country. Community Public Trusts. United Ways. Charities. Legacies. Section 8 Companies. Corpus Interest users. Leveragers. Challengers. Implementers. Hybrids. Dedicated doers. Event Managers. Award givers. Researchers. Campaigners. Anonymous donors. Founders taking charge as Trustees. Incentive givers. Innovation Facilitators. Competition Managers. Social Movements supporters. Infrastructure builders. Scholarship providers. Travel supporters. Publishers. Social Media Managers. Digital platforms. Volunteer guilds. Time givers. Networks. Networkers. Facilitators. Communicators. Fundraisers. Angel investers. No interest equity investors. Cheque writers. …
If we love, which we do. We give ourselves. Fully. We keep giving. If we do not have, we earn and give. Without the asking. With our hands down. Because we have hope, faith, promise, love. Because we share them. Because we are In N. With N. For 7L.
Join us in the world of yoga of leading, living and celebrating life of useful local sustainable mutual giving – ishtadaanayoga for 7L.
G Muralidhar