All about giving!

HYDERABAD: No joy can beat the joy of giving, and to celebrate the same, “Joy of Giving” week will be held from October 2 to 8 in the city. Former Mrs India Shilpa Reddy launched the poster of the event along with the core volunteers of “Joy of Giving” in the city on Tuesday.Talking at the launch of the event, KN Chandrashekaran, one of the core volunteers said, “The aim of the campaign is to provide a platform for people from all walks of life to give back in whatever way they choose to and also celebrate the giving. We hope to make it bigger, merrier and happier this year.”     Agreeing on the same, Shilpa Reddy said, “We  Indians love to give. Be it weddings, festivals, birthdays or any occasion for that matter. And nothing can get better than celebrating giving. As a part of this I do small little things like pay the school fee of my maid’s children and buy them small little things. The smile on their face is just what is enough. It gives me immense happiness.” Sanjay Agarwal, another volunteer said, “This week has become a part of our lives like any other festival be it Diwali or Dussehra. No one owns the Joy of Giving. All it does is contributes to the society.”As a part of the week-long celebrations a lot of corporate companies and NGOs have pitched in to participate in the event. Events like illuminating the Buddha statue and Charminar in pink organised by the Pink Ribbon Campaign, Svechcha’s Stretch an Arm to Help Out, Atlanta Foundation’s The Peace Ride, Nirmaan and Rotoract’s Sixer’s Trophy, Career counselling workshops by Yuva Varidhi, Leadership development program by Adhya Academy of Creativity and Learning, Passionate Foundation initiative for government school children, Invesco’s Badon ka Samman and Vastro ka samman and many such events will be held during the week. Last year, over one million people from more than 65 cities participated in the campaign. Donations worth Rs 20 crore in cash and kind, made Joy of Giving the largest philanthropic event in the country. Celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar have been in the forefront by auctioning their stuff for charity.