The truth about giving

Once again, India has been misrepresented by a western organisation in relation to its concept of charity

BY NOEL G DE SOUZA

The West has done it again. The UK-based Charities Aid Foundation’s (CAF) World Giving Index has named India the worst charity giver in South Asia. Sri Lanka has done quite well at number 8 in the world. Pakistan has risen from a low 142 in 2010 to quite a jump to 34; that would have been an incredible feat for a troubled country in just one year. Bangladesh ranks at 78 and Nepal at 84.

The usual method used for such surveys was followed. A small number of persons (1000 to 2000) were surveyed in each country and the results, entirely based on what those respondents said, were then applied to the entire country as if that was a matter of fact. Such methodology would not be acceptable at a university undergraduate level. The Indian press as usual reported the findings with no comments, thus seemingly accepting the “findings”.

This year the USA ranked in the first place and Australia dropped from the first to the second place. Rankings aside, no one can deny that these two countries do donate generously to world-wide causes, particularly during disasters.

a community kitchen (langar) to all visitors regardless of faith or origin. Several temples in India do likewise.

Someone who does not have money to spare might render equally, or even more valuable service, by becoming a volunteer. This may not be formal. Someone who visits sick friends and helps in that person’s housework is being charitable. Others may help lonely aged people by even just visiting them.

Incidentally, the report found that in Australia and New Zealand volunteering was the least popular of the ways of giving. Volunteers have been an important part of Australian society and those with experience of being at the receiving end of volunteering will find this aspect of the report to be baffling, because volunteers are seen rendering service in diverse situations. Only those who have the time, such as those who have retired or those with spare time, can offer to help.

A small number of persons (1000 to 2000) were surveyed in each country and the results, entirely based on what those respondents said, were then applied to the entire country as if that was a matter of fact.

The report, as many other reports emanating from the West, are patently Eurocentric. Indeed, western observers themselves say that such reports have become comparisons of countries around the world with Scandinavian countries, which invariably rate high in indexes with dubious practical value.

The concept of charity is an old one in the East. It was well formulated in the Buddhist ideal of giving (dan). Giving is not necessarily only by dispensing money. There are many other charities such as by word (kind and considerate), deed (helpful and aiding) and thought (good feelings).

The Buddha asked his monks to go like beggars (bikkus) with a bowl and to spread his teachings. People were expected to fill that bowl with food. Remarkably, that was the identical message of Jesus. He asked his disciples to go with a bowl and teach. People in eastern countries feed wandering monks. Could Buddhism be the reason why Thailand has been mentioned as having a high percentage (85%) of donors? Could that also be the reason for the high ranking (at 8) of Sri Lanka?

There are religious institutions where visitors are fed with food from temple funds. The best known example are the Sikh gurdwaras or temples which supply lunch in

The West needs to understand eastern ways. Take the film Salaam Bombay as an example. It depicted street urchins in Bombay.

The immediate Western interpretation to that film was that most of India’s children live on the streets which is simply not true. The Eastern interpretation was different; it saw street children in India’s big cities forming a community and look after each other.

It has been said by international charity organizations that the best gift is to help individuals and communities, in the long run, to help themselves. The great American philanthropists like Carnegie, Rockefeller and Ford set up educational foundations for this purpose. More recently, Gates and Buffet have emulated them.

India has had the names of Birla, Tata and Premji at the forefront of setting up high level institutions for educating people. Rich mining houses (such as Dempo, Chowgule and Salgaocar) of the tiny state of Goa, have enshrined their names in educational institutions which have changed the nature of their state. Religious bodies like those of Sai Baba and the Tirupathi temple trust have directed funds collected from devotees to the creation of educational and research institutions.

The Charities Aid Foundation has got to temper its methodology by incorporating Eastern perspectives. On the other hand, Indian newspapers and intellectuals must stop timidly accepting such demonstrably wrong classifications of their country as being fact. Let them scrutinise, analyse and learn from what is being said from a Western perspective.