DaanUtsav 2018: You Don’t Need To Be Bill Gates To Donate Half Your Wealth 

You don’t need to be a billionaire to give to charity is the message coming out of this year’s ‘Daan Utsav’.

The weeklong festival of giving, which celebrated its tenth year, saw ordinary Indians pledging to give away half their wealth. Engineer couple Umakathyayini, aged 55, and Javali Ramantha, are among those who took the pledge.

Javali works with for a state-run power company, Umakathyayini focuses on charity after retiring from the public sector. The couple chose not to have children and, instead, help all kids. “How much we have is not important,” said Umakathyayini, adding that her humble beginnings helped her appreciate the good she could do.

Archana, aged 36, and Hari S too pledged to give half their wealth to charity. It wasn’t an easy decision considering they have two young children but decided that raising them well should be the priority instead of worrying about inheritance, Archana said, who works for a non-profit. The Bengaluru-based couple want to share their own inheritance with those who need it more.

Girish Batra, founder of Glocal Projects, an early-stage incubator focussed on college students, finds joy in philanthropy now. Pursuit of a bigger car and a bigger home during his stint in the corporate sector had started taking a toll on him, Batra said. Now, his message for his only son—who will get only half his wealth—is to enjoy what he makes himself rather than the inherited money.