THIS FESTIVE SEASON, BE PART OF #DAANUTSAV
A festival that prods you to give money, time, anything at all, to those who need it
The thing with bringing a smile to someone’s face is that it leaves you smiling, too. It fills the giver with a sense of joy and contentment. And Daan Utsav, which kicks off on October 2 as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, is the perfect opportunity to do so. Like each year, the week-long fest urges people to engage in random acts of giving. This year as it’s the Mahatma’s 150th birth anniversary, it is all the more special.
The act of giving could be as simple as donating books, clothes, toys, or a family giving an ice-cream party to underprivileged children. If you want to participate in the Utsav, you could donate at any of the kiosks to be found at Metro stations such as Saket, Hauz Khas, Qutub Minar, Huda City Centre (Gurugram), Daan Utsav melas and elsewhere in the city. In fact, bodies such as DMRC are organising Metro museum visits and joy rides for the underprivileged on October 3 and 4.
You could also volunteer just like Nina Kler, who is a well-being crusader. Nina will organise collection drives for transgenders and for the underprivileged, something she has been doing for six years, as she feels, “The joy of giving is unparalleled to any other”. She adds, “One of our core volunteers, Rajan Narayanan, would always say ‘I give because I am selfish’. While he is no more with us, this stands true and he lives through this thought.”
Musician Ram Sampath has composed and sung #PyaarKaUtsav, a song for the fest. And fun fact, no one owns #DaanUtsav. Like Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Father’s Day or Mother’s Day.
For another volunteer Sankalp Chabbra, it is the “truest way of giving”.
And we’d like to do our bit, too. We believe in this fastpaced world, most precious is the gift of your time to listen to someone. So, dear reader, starting October 2-8, we’d love to listen to you. If there are any demons lurking in your heart that you want to share with us, we will share it with other readers, even anonymously, if that’s what you want. Write to us on meandmydelhi@gmail.com, and we’ll publish the best story/account everyday in HT City. We are listening.