Page 14 - Seniorstoday April 2022 Issue
P. 14
Alaimentary
Idam Na Mama
Donating wealth is not an act of charity, but more a repayment of an
obligation or an expression of gratitude towards the life forces, writes
Nagesh Alai
Most would know about the Giving Pledge, has led to phenomenal philanthropic
a movement initiated in 2010 by Warren interventions leading to succour and
Buffett, Melinda French Gates and Bill salvation for humanity at large. This, of
Gates, pledging to give away majority of course, does not undermine the yeomen
their wealth to charitable causes either services of the millions of NGOs across the
during their lifetime or in their wills globe tending and rendering to the needy
and make the world (not just the US) a over decades.
universally better place to live. Essentially, It is not just billionaires, but even the
what started as a billionaires’ movement relatively modest of means like the HNIs
comprising a few, over time exploded with and MNIs similarly making a pledge to give
231(including a few from India) of the away a majority of their wealth for various
superrich across 28 countries, signing the social causes. More the merrier indeed to
pledge and committing to give away huge bridge the gap between the privileged and
amounts totalling to nearly two-thirds of a the marginalised. Of course, signing the
trillion dollars. To the numbers challenged, pledge has become an event to be posted on
that is about Rs 50 lakh crore or roughly 25 what else, but the social media. Fame and
per cent of India’s GDP. Though the pledge name are the game perhaps, besides a noble
is more a public moral statement and not a intent. There is significant peer pressure
binding one, it has had a ripple effect across that comes into play as the advocacy is
shores. No one can deny that the initiative quite overt.
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