to the least of them, you do unto me.” This has inspired many missionaries to do service to the poor irrespective of religion, caste or creed. In India, early travelers like Tavemier and Ibn-Batuta9 have recounted several Dharamshalas10 for weary travelers across the country, hospitality like never experienced before truly like Athithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God). The spirit of giving and sharing runs in the genetic code of many Indians down from the Taittiriya Upanishads11, which said Pitro Devo Bhava, Matro Devo Bhava12, Guru Devo Bhava13. Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion began work in the Kartarpur Community in present day Pakistan. Here the traditions of Kar Seva based on the principles of Shramdaan were born. Voluntary agencies and social movements have been growing on the country’s values and the spiritual lexicon of interconnectedness. The base of volunteerism and volunteering has been built on this tradition. Shramdaan is seen as an extension of work with your hands, which will provide spiritual awakening to the soul. Daanam, is very much part of Indian civilization, culture and history and more so of the Indian subcontinent. Indian spiritual philosophy is perhaps unique in the value that the receiver has a more exalted position in providing the giver an opportunity to perform daanam. It has not only social and psychological benefit but also spiritual merit for the giver or donor, which in turn enhances the conscience of the donor and his power to distinguish between the right and the wrong, good and the bad. Thus, daanam or the spirit of volunteerism and/or the courage to take action against wrongdoing continued in many forms as the times passed. Voices were raised by the social reform movements against discrimination by birth and gender and discrimination within religion. The formation of Atmiya Sabha in 1815 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy was one such example; later it became allied with Christian Unitarians and started the Unitarian Committee in 1821. Brahmo Sabha was established in 1828. Swami Sahjanand’s Swaminarayana sect (1800) and Manohar Dharm Sabha (1844) of Gujarat, Paramhans Sabha, Prarthana Sabha, Kalyanonnayak Samaj and Hindu Dharm Sabha in Maharashtra had similar concerns. Many literary educational institutions such as the Royal Asiatic Society (1834) and Dnyan Prakash Sabha (1840) were also founded. The Faradi movement of Haji Shariatullah, founded in 1818 among the economically backward classes of Muslims, reflected similar concerns in the context of Islam. All these were volunteer-based organizations connected and interwoven with their respective religious lexicon. They wished to reform their own religions with constructive work. This philosophy and ingrained culture motivates many Indians to engage in volunteerism and make monetary, time and skill contributions to many similar nonprofit institutions even in the current age. Many concerned groups like the Isha Foundation have planted several million trees in Tamil Nadu with the help of volunteers and their name is in the Limca Book of Records.
9 Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad-Din (February 25, 1304 – 1368 or 1369), was a Muslim Berber Moroccan explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla (lit. “Journey”). Chughtai, A.S., (1990). Ibn Battuta - the great traveler. 10 Dharamshalas are Indian religious rest houses. The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 11, 301. 11 The Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the older, “primary” Upanishads which describes the various degrees of happiness enjoyed by the different beings in creation. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1969), the Bhagavad-Gita, a New Translation and Commentary. Penguin Books. 41, 1–6, 461. 12 Mother is Goddess, father is verily the God.’ Lassi with Lavina. (2009). Hindu Hospitality: The Gods Amongst Us. Retrieved 23, February 2012 from http://www.lassiwithlavina.com/faith/hindu-hospitality-the-gods-amongst-us/html. 13 Guru/ Teacher is God. Andaman chronicle. (2011) “Guru Devo Bhava”: Guru’s role. Retrieved 25 February 2012 from http://andamanchronicle.com/content/view/4576/62.
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