For a cause

Most of us appreciate and understand the value of charity. The level of selflessness goes to the extent that we preach it to the world but seldom practice it for ourselves. Day in and day out our inbox gets filled with pangs for help to save deprived souls from some clueless, hapless part of the planet. Those who do something about it, take shelter under the roof of pride and justify that small droplets go on to make an ocean. Those who choose to don the pragmatic hat, justify by saying that one small bit would do no good to muster the massive sum required by some anonymous soul whose physical existence cannot be ascertained. For all we know, this could be yet another hoax spamming through the net. In all other real circumstances, why is it that we dither when approached by a genuine need for help? It could probably be explained by the fact that we feel the pinch of the immediate loss of money from our pockets more when we least anticipate it, and for a cause/person least associated with our daily lives. All of a sudden a cloud of total bankruptcy shadows us where we clearly see a very high opportunity cost for the amount that we are asked to part with. There have also been occasions where the decision to step forward and contribute was promptly put on hold by our left brain when the actual moment arrived. For those who have not experienced any of the above when confronted with such a situation, and yet chose to do nothing about it, the only plausible reason could have been indolence. I have undergone all the above stages of supposed rational thinking. You may read further if you see yourself in a similar boat that I sail in. I am not sure how many of us are aware of the Giveindia program. It offers an easy way to ensure we don’t feel the credit crunch associated with charity. An amount specified by us in advance, would get deducted similar to TDS every month. When a substantial sum gets accumulated, we can choose to donate it towards any of the umpteen available causes - in a country like ours which has a plethora to offer we can never run out of attractive options. Apart from the sense of satisfaction derived at the end of the day, it also provides tax benefits, though not quite significant. Visit www.giveindia.org for further details.

Disclaimer: Amounts accumulated against your credit do not earn interest and cannot be withdrawn