The joy of giving

Many well to do Indians in UK contribute to causes in India which are in need of such support, writes Pavan K Varma.

Some weeks ago Mr N Vaghul, Chairman of ICICI Bank in India, wrote to me to ask if I would, in my personal capacity, assist with GIVE-UK, a new initiative by the bank to channel, in a tax effective and transparent manner, funds from Britain for worthwhile community projects in India. I readily agreed because I have consistently believed that this needs to be done.

In my book The Great Indian Middle Class I had been critical of the social insensitivity of the privileged classes in India to the poverty and deprivation around them. Although the middle class in India considers itself to be itself deprived, and certainly not a part of the privileged, the truth is that it is privileged in comparison to the millions who live below the poverty line and have almost no access to adequate health care and education. The middle class in India has undoubtedly a great deal of buoyancy and energy, but it is also true that it is self-obsessed and insular, and considers its own priorities to be the only agenda of importance for the country.

I had argued then, and I continue to believe now, that while India has the potential to emerge as a world power, it is not possible to build the super structure of our aspirations on a foundation where so many are unacceptably poor and illiterate. I began to write a fortnightly column for the Hindustan Times called 'People Like Us', which profiled individuals and organisations contributing back to society, especially in the crucial areas of primary education, health care and poverty eradication. I wanted the column to provide role models for the relatively privileged in India, and to let them know that if they wish to contribute there are avenues to do so. Subsequently, in collaboration with journalist Renuka Narayanan, I wrote a primer called 'Maximize Your Life: An Action Plan for the Indian Middle Class'.

This work was important for me, but I have no illusions that it has made any lasting dent on the lack of social concern in India. There is, I sometimes feel, a deep seated suspicion in us about public altruism. Volunteers selling Unicef cards worth as little as 10 rupees each have told me that they are asked dozens of searching questions by donors. People are willing to give money at the drop of a hat for the construction of temples or mosques, or to priests and hundis, but they do not see how their personal salvation is linked to poor children getting education or indigent women getting the benefit of basic medical care.