What is charity? Does it merely involve donating some money to an organisation or giving alms to a poor person on the street? If this is the case, wouldn’t the proverb “Charity begins at home” sound a bit odd? Students talk about what charity means to them.
Thushara Ann Mathew, Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune Charity, according to me, is providing happiness to another person through one’s deeds. It is putting a smile on another person’s face, being able to touch another person’s soul. The sole purpose and motive of charity should be to make another person happy.
Shuvopriyo Roy, B.Sc in Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Christ University, Bengaluru I believe that true charity is way beyond the flurry of emotions that make us donate, or appearing to care for someone. It is not a one-time thing, but a continuous process keeping in mind a long-term goal of solving an issue or a social problem.
It is channelising one’s energy in a way so that one day nobody has to donate for a cause. It is about empowering the needy to be at par with anybody and have equal opportunities.
V. K. Mythreyi, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, SASTRA University, Thanjavur Our lives are richer when we share and help others to better their lives. We rise by lifting others.
Giving opens the way for receiving. Charity provides an intrinsic reward that’s far more valuable than the gift. It’s not just about donation but about making a difference.
Giving is one of the best investments one can make towards achieving true happiness. The joy of seeing someone happy is ineffable. I think the happiest people are not the ones who are getting more but those who are giving more.
Roshni Balaji, Asian College of Journalism, Chennai Charity, according to me, means the less privileged to a position of self-sufficiency. I was at a railway station when a stout man came up to me begging for alms. When I was just about to blatantly refuse, I spotted a stall selling refreshments. I bought twenty packets of chips and biscuits each. As the man stood there baffled, I said, “Each of these cost ten rupees. A lot passengers sitting in the train would not prefer to get off to pick up these snacks. Wander close to the coaches and sell them at twelve rupees.”
As Maimonides rightly puts it, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
