The Billion Dollar Question

It’s no easy task,organising an auction for charity in India. After half an hour of extolling the virtues of giving,and with almost nobody raising their hands for anything,host Koel Purie,finally said,in exasperation,“Ok,how many Birkins in this room? Give them up for a cause.” And on spotting a few,Purie managed to bulldoze some artful dodgers into spending. From a bidder perspective,the only question I have to ask is,“why would anyone fork out Rs 4 lakh for a yoga session with Baba Ramdev?” Similarly,I’m a big fan of Karan Johar’s show Koffee with Karan. But no way is that hamper worth Rs 3 lakh,good cause or not. It has a Samsung Tablet (not even an Apple i-Pad),a bag by Louis Vuitton (Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh) and an assortment of goodies from Godrej’s Nature Basket. Indians are a judicious bunch,even when it comes to charity. And,why shouldn’t they be? The reserve price for both,the yoga session and the hamper,were ridiculous,and should have been much lower.

Indian billionaires are routinely criticised for being indifferent towards philanthropy. According to a US-based consultancy firm,Indians donated $ 7.5 billion in charity in 2009,while in the same year,Americans donated $300 billion. However,a comparison is unfair because wealth in India is relatively new,so it will take more time for the seriously rich to loosen their purse strings. I sincerely believe that a lot of Indians,not just the super rich,want to donate in small ways,but,in a country rocked by scams and corruption,they don’t know who to trust,and worry about where their money will eventually end up. The quandary of the donor is,in international organisations,the executives are discussing world poverty at fancy conferences in resorts in the Maldives,while Indian charities lack clarity. There’s a serious dearth of options for people who want to give.

It’s all very well for NGOs to host a great party and raise a few lakhs,that will,hopefully,at least take care of the costs of the party. Khushii,I’m sure does good work. It’s run by luminaries in their own right; a mix of cricketers,hoteliers and industrialists. But do they have the requisite expertise in philanthropy to convince donors that their money for causes is best spent through them? Compare it,(though the comparison is odious) to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s (BMG) Delhi wing,where there are currently three jobs available. For the junior most job in Public Health on offer at the BMG,you need 10 years’ work experience in rural health care and grant management,and an in-depth knowledge of Indian state government structure before you can even apply. If Indian NGOs had these standards and this quality of people running the show,maybe it would be a lot easier to get people to donate,even at a fashion auction. That’s how seriously charity has to be managed before you can convince donors to call it a “superlative experience”. hutkayfilms@gmail.com

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