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As I reflect upon the forthcoming Joy of Giving Week, I realise that the joy of giving, for me, lies
in the happiness one sees on the face of the person receiving the gift. I have personally experienced this joy both as a giver and receiver of gifts. I remember how incredulously happy I was on being gifted leg guards by Hemant Kenkre when I was still in my early days of cricket. This was followed by a bat gifted to me by Dilip Vengsarkar when I was first selected for the Ranji team. And the same joy resurfaced when Sunil Gavaskar gifted me pads when I was chosen to play for India. On each of these occasions, I felt sheer delight that these people thought of me, and gave something of themselves to me. And I could see the same joy reflected on their faces.
Today, I continue to experience this joy as a giver of gifts. One incident etched in my memory, is when I gifted my father and brother a car as a surprise. My brother had come to visit and even as he was admiring the car downstairs, I gave him the keys and told him it was his. To this day, I can recall the look on his face, surprise giving way to joy.
All of us like to receive gifts, no matter how privileged we are, but it is important for us to count our blessings and share willingly. My daughter Sara, has imbibed this valuable lesson. Last year on her 10th birthday, she decided to forgo gifts for herself and instead, decided to host a party for the underprivileged children with the money she was gifted. The memories of the party she organized are worthy of being cherished and I am very proud of what went through in little Sara’s head. This is what appeals to me in the Joy of Giving Week — that people from all walks of life can give. This year, in addition to giving money, which is the easier part, I am offering a one-day cricket coaching camp for auction. The proceeds will benefit underprivileged children at Apnalaya.
In our country, there are so many less privileged, less fortunate people, that any small thing that we feel is no good in our hands, is like gold for someone else. So it is important to give what we can — from a pen to a watch to money, Rs100 to Rs1 lakh, whatever you feel you can give. Eventually, added up across all of us in India, it becomes a substantial amount. And it doesn’t even have to be money — you can give your time, skills or resources. Spend a day with elderly people who are isolated or children who need attention and experience the joy yourself.
I strongly believe that it is also very important to think of what the other person would like when we make a gift. I experienced this on Aug 15, when I gave a young girl selling flags at the traffic lights, a lot more money than the Rs2 the flag was worth. The look on the girls face told me the money meant a lot to her. I don’t think a watch or a shirt would have meant much to her. True joy comes from giving someone something that they need, knowing that your giving will bring joy to that person’s life.
I appeal to the people of India to be a part of this Joy of Giving Week that we are all looking forward to. There are so many people in our country capable of giving on a large scale, if all of them step forward, we can make all changes we are dreaming of for our country, possible, maybe even in our own lifetimes. It is all about taking small steps, but keep taking those steps consistently. So let’s begin this Week!
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