The joy of giving…
Breathes there a man… much more so, a woman… with a soul so dead, who is not happy to receive a gift… however big or small it might be? That would be a rare species indeed. But, while getting details for an article in this issue, and talking to leaders of the Rotary Club of Bombay Bay View, I was struck by the exact opposite… joy in giving. Giving not a huge sum of money, or a gift that costs the earth… but a moderate gift to an unknown person.
We were discussing the several projects the club does in a few Adivasi villages in Palghar district near Mumbai. One of them involved a group wedding for Adivasi couples, and each couple getting a kit of household articles and groceries as a wedding gift. When I asked how easy or difficult it was to find the money to fund such welfare projects, the president laughed and said: “Oh, money is never a problem. Our club members are happy to fund these projects.”
Then, she excitedly related how money comes pouring in even from Rotarians who are not members of her club. To fund the marriage gift kits, she reached out to her sister-in-law, who is a member of RC Mumbai Royales. When the latter posted this on her WhatsApp group, there was instant response. People were actually fighting to give money; somebody wanted to give utensils, another wanted to buy the grocery kits, etc. One Rotarian topped the chart; her husband tagged along with her as she went shopping for these gifts. She had a list of items needed, but she volunteered to buy much more than what was listed, saying: ‘Now that my husband is here, he will pay for everything; so I’ll buy much more!’
While several husbands reading this will chuckle quietly, or maybe wince, recalling shopping expeditions with their wives that pinched their pockets, just think about the generosity of this woman. She was not even shopping for herself, but this was certainly her joie de vivre moment, as the French would call it. She was truly experiencing the joy of living, and that too to bring a smile on an unknown person’s lips!
But, while the good people want to bring joy to others, there are others who thoughtlessly and brutally do not hesitate to take away even the little that people have. Like the hope of mothers of little children in Afghanistan that their kids will grow up to be healthy adults and free from crippling diseases such as polio. The UN has reported that the Taliban, which is now ruling Afghanistan, has banned the administration of door-to-door polio drops in that beleaguered country. Latest reports say negotiations are on to allow polio immunisation at least in designated places such as mosques. Only time will tell how effective or disastrous this will be. The WHO reports that in this endemic country, the number of polio cases are already going up — 18 so far this year, compared to only six in 2023. In this alarming scenario, Rotarians will have to work that much harder to achieve their dream of a polio-free world.
Rasheeda Bhagat
