Sharing: THE JOY OF GIVING WEEK 2014

Today is Mahatma Gandhi’s 145^th birthday. Gandhiji said, “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver”. The Joy of Giving Week was introduced in memory of the Father Of Our Nation from the year 2009.

Wikipedia says: 

The Joy of Giving Week (JGW) or Daan Utsav is a "festival of philanthropy" that aims to become a part of the Indian ethos, with the Week being celebrated every year covering Gandhi Jayanthi by engaging people through "acts of giving" - money, time, resources and skills - spanning the corporate, NGO and government sectors, schools, colleges and the general public.

I bring to you this mission brought together by the BMC to eradicate TB in Mumbai. I am proud to say that all my family members including me are donors under this scheme.

Mission for TB Control

I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you that Mumbai Mission for TB Control under the banner of BMC has launched a campaign for the Joy of Giving Week – 2^nd to 8^th October. The campaign entails adoption of TB patients for nutrition on a sustainable basis. They are trying to engage as many donors as possible who will support this program during the Joy of Giving Week.

There are 2500+ Drug Resistant TB patients that take medication from the TB treatment centres (DOTS) in Mumbai. The need of the hour is to improve the immunity of these patients by ensuring that they have access to daily nutrition. They have a support program in place that involves provision of nutrition to the patients.

The mission is looking at the following support from individual donors. The objective is to gather donors who can provide basic nutrition to the patients in the form of food essentials, on a prolonged monthly basis. This is called the ‘Patient Family Outreach Pack’.

Patient Family Outreach Pack:

1.       Dal (2 kg) @ Rs. 90 per kg

2.       Rice (5 kg) @ Rs. 40 per kg

3.       Edible Oil (1 lt) @ Rs. 110 per lt

4.       Peanuts (1 kg) @ Rs. 140 per kg

5.       Jaggery (1/2 kg) @ Rs. 30 per half kg

6.       Salt (1 kg) @ Rs. 17 per kg

The above costs are approximate and for your reference only. The donor can purchase the pack from a wholesale vendor where the food essentials can be procured at a cheaper rate. The donor will be connected to a centre closest to their place of residence for convenience.

One pack is given to one patient every month to take care of monthly nutrition needs. Donors are required to support this on a sustainable and long-term basis. This is a major need among the patients and is quite easy to implement.

Mr. Amitabh Bachchan is the Brand Ambassador for the TB Awareness Campaign. You can check out @SrBachchan’s tweet on the same. 

Any queries may be addressed to Vinitha Venkatraman at venkatvinitha@gmail.com with "Mumbai Mission for TB Control" in the subject line.

Sharing: GANDHI JAYANTHI

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or The Mahatma – what does the name mean to the lot of us?

When I was a kid (that was eons ago), the name meant a sense of patriotism, a deep feeling of gratitude while I have cried many-a-tear reading about Gandhi Thatha (grandpa) in history books. We have watched many films on Indian Independence and got to know The Mahatma’s role in it. I have always felt mighty proud that I belong to the same soil as the great man himself.

My grandfather told us many stories of life during the British Raj. He had studied and practised law in those times. My father had gone for an interview with an Englishman. These interactions helped us all understand the concept of Gandhi. 

But what about today’s generation? My kids and those younger to them? Do they know anything – what I mean is – do they understand what MK Gandhi was and still is to our country?

I mean the question literally, without any sarcasm. I remember this incident when my daughter was a baby. I kept on telling her that the pressure cooker was hot and she should not touch it. Vinitha was too curious by nature and kept on reaching for the cooker only to be scolded by me again and again. One moment I looked away and she screamed with pain. She had touched the hot cooker and her little fingers had turned red. With tears in her eyes, she wanted me to cuddle her. That was the first time I understood that you need to experience some things to really understand what it is. She had to touch the cooker to know the meaning of ‘hot’. How many ever times I kept telling her, there was just no use.

In a similar fashion, talking about Gandhiji in times when the country is going global might be tough on GenNext. They might not be able to comprehend the values that the older generation is trying to inculcate in them.

This is where I really appreciate the value of Rajkumar Hirani bringing Gandhigiri to the masses through his blockbuster, Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Even if the younger generation is not quite able to comprehend what Gandhiji did for our country and her independence, the kids will definitely be able to relate to his principles. Jai Ho!

Long live the memory of the Father of our Nation!