The Joy of Giving

It is often said, “Giving opens the door to Receiving.” November 19, 2022, was a red letter day in the history of the Veteran Citizen Forum (VCF), a senior citizens’ club in the Lokpuram area, when twenty of its members visited Adhar-Tirth Aadharaashram, Nashik, a home that takes care of children orphaned by farm suicides and donated Rs.30,000/- to the NGO. The group also carried books, toys, grocery items like rice, ghee, fruits, footwear, and old usable clothes and donated them to the orphanage. Farmer suicide in our country is an age-old problem. According to data compiled by the state relief and rehabilitation department, the distress among farmers in Maharashtra has pushed 1,875 of them to end their lives during January-August this year.

Surendra Yande, Vice President and Head – Social Service Activity of the club, who led the team of 20 VCF members to the orphanage in Nashik, shared his first-hand experience with KYT. Yande says, “When we saw the orphan children, it was a heart-wrenching moment, and I was dewy-eyed. Wondered what was the fault of these innocent kids that they were orphaned and rendered homeless.” Rajesh Shrivastava, another active member of the club, also echoed similar feelings.

This is a very laudable step taken by a senior citizen club, which believes that we are not here just to regale ourselves by singing and dancing. But extend a helping hand to the community in which we live. The new thinking is that we seniors have lived a fruitful life, enjoyed our hay days, and the time is ripe for giving to society. Giving liberates the soul of the giver. The golden rule is always giving without remembering and always receiving without forgetting!

-Raghavendra Odeyar