Keynote Speakers M. V. Subbiah, Harsh Mariwala and S Ramadorai Inspire FGC Members With Their Philanthropic Journeys
INDIACSR News Network
MUMBAI: GiveIndia, India’s leading philanthropy marketplace hosted its 4th Annual First Givers Club Summit in Mumbai on Monday, October 28, 2013. With the First Givers Club completing three years in Mumbai, GiveIndia hosted two sessions – Mr. S Ramadorai addressed the first session on Inspiring Livelihood Models and the second session on Insights from Remarkable Givers started with Mr. Subbiah, former Chairman of Murugappa Group and Mr. Harsh Mariwala, Chairman and MD of Marico sharing their personal stories of philanthropy and ended with Mr. Dushyant Joshi, founder and MD of Azure and Mr. Sanjay Jain, MD of TT Limited sharing their inspiring stories of leverage.
The First Givers Club, founded in 2010 in Mumbai, is an enriching platform for High Income individuals looking to make a significant contribution to development in India through a consistent process of shared inputs and suggestions leading to a step change in philanthropy. Till date, the First Givers Club has channelled over 20 crores into projects across different verticals.
Aimed at inspiring evolved members to take their philanthropy to the next level, GiveIndia organized a discussion on Emerging Rural & Livelihood opportunities with NGOs working in the field of livelihood generation. As the keynote speaker, Mr. Ramadorai shed light on how inclusive growth is necessary to sustain business growth.
Speaking about his journey as the Chairman of the National Skill Development Agency, Mr S Ramadorai said, “Doing what you believe in is one of the most essential things in life. My own calling in the last two years has been skilling the youth of the country and initiating the largest talent building exercise in the world. The vision of skill development is to have access, affordability and aspiration and to connect them all together.”
Addressing all members of the First Givers Club in the Insights from Remarkable Givers session, Mr Subbiah Former Chairman, Murugappa Group & Former Chairman, NSDC and Dr. Harsh Mariwala (Chairman and MD, Marico & Founder, Ascent Foundation) enlightened members with their own personal stories of philanthropy.
As a philanthropist who has leveraged innovation for the social good, Mr Subbiah said, “My grandfather believed that if you keep water in a well in your house, it quenches the thirst of your family but if you keep water in the village pond, the entire village can benefit from it. Giving is encouraged in our family from an early age and it is mandatory for us to retire at 65 years so we can then dedicate our efforts to giving back to society. We are already inculcating the culture of giving in the 5th generation of the Subbiah family.”
Having recently embarked on his journey of giving, Mr Harsh Mariwala said, “According to me, the first 25 years of a person’s life should be dedicated to learning, the next 25 years to earning and the following 25 years to giving. One also finds that the urge to give becomes stronger as you get older and giving in whatever form is very essential. The giving movement has resurfaced and thanks to organizations like GiveIndia, it is gaining momentum.”
Highlighting the success of the First Givers Club over the last 3 years, Mr. Dhaval Udani, CEO of GiveIndia said, “It gives us immense pleasure to see the First Givers Club grow at such a rapid pace. 2013 has been a milestone year for the First Givers Club as we have just launched in Delhi and have also found existing members increasing their philanthropy budgets, with about 30% actually doubling their portfolio. We hope that the stories showcased at the Summit today will motivate our members to further contribute to create a significant difference in India.”
To become a member of the FGC, individuals needs to donate a minimum of INR 5 lakhs per annum to a cause of their choice and should be willing to engage at least 40 hours annually.
