An estimated two crore Indians  celebrities, corporate leaders and common citizens  are expected to come together and pitch in with anything they can give back to society as part of a unique 'Joy of Giving Week' scheduled to begin on September 27.
Organised by Mumbai-based NGO GiveIndia, the event hopes to tug at the heartstrings of the country, cutting across all divides, and has already got commitments from a cross-section that includes Sachin Tendulkar, Azim Premji, A R Rahman, not to mention government ministries and city civic bodies, Mumbai's dabbawalas and Chennai's auto unions. "People can give something back in any manner they choose fit, and there are no stipulations," said Venkat Krishnan N, director of GiveIndia. "From a millionaire writing a cheque, to a slumdweller sharing one of his three rotis, any act of giving is welcome. The aim is to hold it annually in the week of October 2, with the hope that it continues to grow to become a festival that all Indians plan for." Although the event has some parallels such as the Red Rose Day in Britain, the New York Marathon and the Giving Week in Australia, they are not on the same national scale as the proposed 'Joy of Giving Week', said Krishnan, an IIM-Ahmedabad graduate who set up GiveIndia in 2000 to create a "giving culture" in India by providing people with opportunities to contribute to good causes, with high standards of transparency and accountability. The list of names who have endorsed the event and pledged to contribute reads like a who's who of the country: sports icons such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Geet Sethi, Prakash Padukone and P Gopichand; Bollywood and regional film celebrities such as Farah Khan, Rahul Bose, Madhavan and Nagarjuna; film-makers Anurag Kashyap, Imitiaz Ali, Nandita Das and Maniratnam; music maestro A R Rahman, and corporate leaders such as Azim Premji, N R Narayana Murthy, Deepak Parekh, Adi Godrej and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit has committed full participation and support from her government, reaching out to all schools in Delhi and promoting the week through the Bhagidari newsletter, and having 'Joyboxes' in all Delhi government offices. She has also agreed to provide visibility to the week through bus shelters and at metro stations. Sachin Pilot and Ambika Soni have offered Telecom, Information and Broadcasting support to the week. The mov-ement has also found endorsement from West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the Bangalore and Ahmedabad city corporations and the Andhra Tourism Board. .. http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20090815/804/tnl-2-cr-indians-to-take-part-in-giving.html ..
