|| CHARITY AND ACTIVISM ||

I love this statement, "Charity is like the sun, brightening every object on which it shines," and it's just true; see the glow of sunflowers once they get sunshine—they just bloom. Even we human beings, the moment the sun shines, it just brightens our day. Every day, in every part of the universe where human beings or creatures like animals, birds, and plants reside, they just wait for the sun to shine so that they can act. We have always understood the meaning of charity—that those organizations which collect money or materials to help the poor and needy do work to help society. It's the same way the sun helps society to survive and to act. Rays of sun do make social transformation of human beings. Learning from it, we humans also should make efforts to do charity in such a manner that it does social transformation of an individual. To do charity and activism is totally in our hands.

Charity is not just about monetary donations; it encompasses a broader spectrum of kindness and empathy. It's about understanding the needs of others and extending a helping hand, whether through acts of service, emotional support, or simply lending a listening ear. In a world where material wealth often dictates one's status, genuine charity transcends financial contributions and delves into the realm of human connection and compassion.

Moreover, charity is not a one-time act but a continuous commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of others. It involves building sustainable solutions and empowering individuals to overcome challenges and thrive independently. By fostering a culture of generosity and collective responsibility, we can create a ripple effect of kindness that enriches communities and uplifts humanity as a whole.

It is said, "With will and wish, you can win the world the way you want," that's what our Lord Krishna has taught us. According to Lord Krishna, charity should be in our thoughts. The thought to make someone smile with few stupid acts like stealing makhan from gopis and making them do indirect charity, the thought to make someone smile and give happiness through his melodious basuri, the thought of fighting against devils and making those devils understand the real path of goodness, and the thought of doing best for his friend who did a small help to Lord Krishna. Many such acts have been taught by Lord Krishna; charity begins at home, and it's not only by money; you can do it through your acts of kindness. Charity should be done in such a manner that the person who receives gets transformation in his own life and doesn't have to raise his hand to receive charity again. Your act of charity should make the other person self-dependent.

I was going through the act of PWD for education; it says all the kids with all disabilities have 3% seats for higher education in colleges. We have a 6.3% population of hearing impaired, and out of that, 40% are kids under the age of 15, and they have only 1% seat for higher education. Now, even normal people from low-income groups are not getting facilities for education. Then, how can one help these specially challenged people? In these days, to survive, one needs good education. How do we make this transformation? As an individual and as a non-profit organization, we are providing digital hearings to an individual requirement so that, at least to start with, they can be one of the active parts of normal society. Our motto is to make them assets rather than liabilities.

I recently had one client who is very well-established and having a rich life. He has hearing issues and needed hearing aids. He did purchase good hearing aids, so it helped him to communicate well. After some time, he lost his hearing aids and needed to buy a new one. He asked for a big discount as other people offer in the market. I refused as I feel your services need to be valued. He did purchase from another place with a discount, but he was not happy with the programming of hearing aids, so he came down for help. I asked for charges for my services, and he was not ready to give the amount which I asked. After discussion, I said you can give how much you feel to give, and with great difficulty, he gave one forth of my charges.

The same day, I got another client who was having a real difficult time running the house. He needed hearing aids very badly as it was harming his communication with people, as well he was finding it difficult to work to earn money. We said we will help him and will take minimal charges, and he can give money when he comes to collect hearing aids. He said, "Mam, it's nice of you to help me. With all this difficulties, I have collected this money. One of my friend's daughter is hearing impaired from childhood; I have seen over the years the way you have helped, and I have total trust in you and your thought process. To just help is good enough; now I will manage whatever I can do to help myself with the right hearing aids."

Two extreme cases, now I have great clarity whom I need to help?? I have seen so many non-profit organizations and many philanthropic donors who do donations. Some do to gain fame, some do to earn fame, some do as others are doing, some go with the flow without realizing the meaning of it. There are very few organizations and individuals who do real genuine work. But the good part of everyone is that they have one fine thought to help. If just this thought will real genuine activism than so much huge transformation will happen in our society. Think about it.