According to Section 135, of [Companies Bill 2011]: “Every company with a net worth of Rs. 500 crore or more, or turnover of Rs. 1,000 crore or more, or net profit of Rs. 5 crore or more in a financial year will have to form a CSR [corporate social responsibility] committee, consisting of three or more directors, of which at least one would be an independent director. This committee will have to ensure that the company spends, in every financial year, at least two per cent of the average net profits made during the three immediately preceding years, towards CSR activities.

India’s corporate sector is dead-set against the bill, particularly the CSR provision, because they don’t want to be forced to give 2% of their profits to charity and they feel that government oversight will stifle business decision-making.  A representative quote from J.J. . Irani, former director of Tata Sons, says it all: “People will find ways to skirt anything that is mandated.”  Ouch – no wonder people have such little trust for institutions of any kind in India!

What do you all think?  Should India’s companies – many of whom are swimming in new wealth – be forced to give away a small portion of their profits?  Or is it up to businesses to make those decisions, especially during a time of increased business investment and economic growth?

Samip Mallick, MLIS, is President and Co-founder of the South Asian American Digital Archive  (SAADA).  He is also Director of the Ranganathan Center for Digital Information at the University of Chicago Library.

There is a long history of philanthropy in the South Asian American community, dating back to when South Asians first began immigrating to the United States in the early 1900s.  In those days, those who came to the U.S. were primarily either laborers who were here to work in lumberyards and mills in towns along the Pacific Coast or students at colleges and universities across the U.S. with plans to return to India after completing their degrees.  These early immigrants from South Asia saw the value in pooling their resources to help support each other and inaugurate religious, cultural and political institutions of various kinds. A number of scholarship programs were created in order to encourage others to come from India to study in the United States.  One such effort was that of the Guru Govind Singh scholarship started in 1912 by Jawala Singh, a prosperous potato farmer and agricultural entrepreneur near Stockton, California.  The scholarship was intended to help “deserving Indian students of both sexes to receive liberal and professional education in foreign countries” (original emphasis) and included free board, lodging, expenses and a small amount of pocket money for three years.  All the scholars were to reside at a hostel to be called the “Guru Nanak Deva Vidyarthi Ashram” in Berkeley, and lead a “simple and abstemious” life. 

The South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) documents, preserves and provides access to the history of the South Asian American community through a digital archive, available online.  My hope is that SAADA’s work will help to explain the history and context that helped to shape the South Asian American community of today.  Philanthropy is no exception.  Understanding what our community’s philanthropic priorities have been historically might just help us think about what we want our community’s priorities to be for today and for the future.

SAADA is 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Chicago.  It is the only archive of its kind that focuses solely on the history of the South Asian American community.  In just over one year, SAADA’s archive has grown to include over 350 unique items, dating from the late 1800s all the way to the present day, and has helped to uncover hidden narratives of the long, diverse and important history of South Asians in the United States.  Through photographs, correspondence, newsletters, pamphlets, documents, audio, video and oral history interviews, SAADA is building a comprehensive archive of South Asian American history that will be available without cost to everyone.

The Guru Govind Singh scholarship is merely one example of how South Asians in the United States, even those with meager resources themselves, felt it important to support others in the community.  The philanthropic impulse has deep roots in our community’s history and we hope to be able to continue to uncover and share these stories through the South Asian American Digital Archive.

Do you have a story to share?

Mohnish Pabrai (c/o Time.com)

Last week, Time Magazine profiled the philanthropy of Mohnish Pabrai, a hedge fund manager from Irvine, California, and “disciple” of Warren Buffett.  Mohnish and his wife Harina Kapoor have founded the Dakshana Foundation to help smart kids from poor backgrounds in India get into IIT and other universities to pursue their education.

In 2008, Mohnish “shelled out $320,050 to have lunch with his business idol, Warren Buffett”.  I’m happy Mohnish learned more from Buffett than just how to invest money – but also how to be a generous philanthropist.

There’s a lot I like about this guy and what’s he’s doing with Dakshana:

• Collaborating with an existing organization – JNV, a government-funded rural school system – in order to identify talented children in need of help
• Focusing on education for those who really, truly can’t afford it
• Funding individual students while also contributing towards infrastructure
• Helping students find internships and jobs to make sure their education is leveraged to the max
• Complete transparency with the Foundation’s financials
• “Future wealth recycling” (love that phrase!) – asking scholars who benefit from the Foundation and go on to success to pay 10% back into the Foundation to help others
• Making sure to include girls as well as boys as scholarship-recipients

But, like Michael Edwards, I remain cautious about treating philanthropy in general like any other business venture.  I think there is room in the philanthropic market for minds like Mohnish and projects like Dakshana, but it’s also important for funders to think about how to fix the bigger picture – how to help students who may not be as bright as Dakshana scholars or those who are not interested in technology, or how to fix the slums that the kids come from to create healthy living environments for children, for example.

In the meantime, check out this community forum they are sponsoring in Chicago next month. It’s the first of several as part of their initiative to build a comprehensive collection of digital materials documenting South Asian American history. Led by Mallick and Michelle Caswell (Secretary & Co-Founder of SAADA), the discussion will focus on how to document, preserve and provide access to South Asian American history.   It’s open to the public and all are invited to participate.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 
5:30pm – 7:00pm CST
Roosevelt University’s Murray – Green Library
430 S. Michigan Avenue, 10th Floor 
Chicago, IL 60605

RSVP here.

Following the presentation, there will be an open discussion on the following questions:
· What do you want future generations to know about the South Asian American community of today?
· Which organizations and individuals in Chicago should be included in the archive?
· How do we represent the diversity of the South Asian American community in SAADA?
· What aspects of South Asian American history do you wish you knew more about?

Questions? Contact Samip Mallick directly at samip@saadigitalarchive.org.

The event is organized by SAADA and Roosevelt University with support from the Asian Giving Circle, Chicago.

Jyoti Singhvi

Today, we are delighted to present the first SAPP interview of 2012!  We have with us Jyoti Singhvi, designer and CEO of the luxury jewelry brand JYOTI and board member of GlamourGals, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that inspires and organizes teens to provide ongoing complimentary beauty makeovers and companionship to elderly women living in senior homes. As seventh-generation in the jewelry industry, Jyoti furthered her individual interest in the field by working at venerable brands like Cartier. Jyoti has an MPA from Harvard University and an MBA from MIT. She is also an advisor for SAWLF, the South Asian Women’s Leadership Forum. 

What inspired you to become involved with GlamourGals?

The mission of the organization is amazing. It nurtures two very important generations: the elderly and teenagers.  My grandmother passed away two years ago and I miss her so much!  I only wish I could have spent more time with her. We get busy with our everyday lives and frequently tend to forget to take care of the elderly in our lives. If they hadn’t worked hard and laid a strong foundation for us, we would not have the comfortable lives and the opportunities we do today. Through GlamourGals, we have the opportunity to bring joy and happiness to the lives of all these wonderful and inspirational women.  GlamourGals is also a great platform to develop leadership, compassion, confidence and purpose in the lives of younger women.  If I can make even a small difference in one of their lives, I would be very happy and honored.

What has been the most interesting part of being a part of GlamourGals’ advisory board?  And the most challenging?

The most interesting and memorable part is to bring excitement and happiness to the elderly women by doing makeovers and manicures.  It is really rewarding to see them smile as they pick the nail polish colors and show off their makeup and manicures to their friends.  There is so much we can learn from their fabulous stories. It is so important to provide them the care, love and attention that they deserve.  I have also truly enjoyed working with the very inspirational leadership of Glamour Gals: Rachel Doyle, the President & Founder; Susan Schulz, Chairwoman of the Advisory Board; and, Kavita Mehra, the NYC Metro Area Program Director.  It is always painful to see the ones we love age, whether they are our parents or our grandparents.  The most challenging part for me is to see these women who were once so energetic, full of life, healthy and independent struggle with health, energy and aching for love and companionship.

You have a very impressive business profile.  What skills do you think translate to your work on GlamourGals’ advisory board?

Thank you for your kind words.  We don’t need any business or professional skills to make others happy. The most important is compassion and the desire to do something for others.  It has to come from within. Focus and time management are important so that I make sure I have enough time for work, family, philanthropy and sometimes also for myself.

Could you tell us a little more about your work with SAWLF?

South Asian Women’s Leadership Forum (SAWLF) is the first not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of South Asian women and girls (U.S.). I have been a member of SAWLF for several years.  Because of my experience in luxury goods, I have been advising SAWLF in the development of a luxury forum and luxury programming.  There are many South Asian women who are interested in luxury goods and it would be a great way to provide them with exposure to the intricacies of this industry.

Do you think your identity as a South Asian woman plays a role in your nonprofit leadership?  If so, how?

I am very much in touch with my identity as a South Asian woman.  Maybe subconsciously my identity as a South Asian woman plays a role, but consciously it does not, as I do everything as an individual and try to see how I can help with issues are important to me.  I have a special interest in poverty alleviation, child-welfare, and health because of various experiences I have had in life.

What do you think about the future of South Asian philanthropy and volunteering?  

I think the future is bright as the second and third generations of South Asians in North America have greater exposure to various issues around the world. They have the best of both worlds – many of them are financially comfortable and have been raised in a culture of giving and volunteering.

In the new year, why not consider planning out your giving sooner. This way, you are not rushing to identify causes and organizations and balancing charitable giving with budgets tapped out with holiday shopping and travel spending.  Just my two-point-twelve cents!

Americans and many other folks around the world look forward to their holiday giving and many make it a family event, inviting children and relatives to identify causes together, in making a holiday gift.  Our family did that again this year and it was quite fulfilling to engage in a process of getting to know each other’s values and motivations and then to ultimately see a compounded gift go a distance further in achieving something good.  Next year, we’ve vowed to start earlier in checking in with each other for ideas and selecting our family gift beneficiaries.  I can only imagine how much more meaningful this might be, spending more time discussing personal as well as family values and goals when it comes to giving back and being smarter about that giving. What issues are important to all of us (we all have various personal causes, but what’s the common denominator), how much can we/do we want to give, and what might we want to achieve together? This dialogue is actually a quite critical piece of the act of charitable giving, whether you do it collectively as a family or couple or individually.

Here are just a few tools/resources you may find helpful and that we’ll be looking into early next year!

http://www.learningtogive.org/moneysmartchoices/family_giving/fg-values.html# (See the downloadable personal giving values worksheet and the family giving values worksheet)

http://www.doinggoodtogether.org/index.php/give-and-serve/charitable-giving/

http://www.ncfp.org/what_we_do/value-of-family-in-philanthropy

http://boldergiving.org/giving_toolkit.php

Happy New Year!

Here’s one of Sharmila’s quotes:

The expanding relationship with cultural and charitable institutions gives South Asians “a place at the table,” says Sharmila Thakkar, director of the Chicago-based South Asian Philanthropy Project. And it gives non-profits access to both new perspectives and a new source of donations at a time when some longtime supporters are tapped out.

I was shocked to read the following in the SAALT post:  ”As the jarring statistics recently released by the FBI show, hate crimes against Muslims rose a staggering 50% between 2009 and 2010 – and, although not captured by these statistics, those perceived to be Muslim, including Hindus and Sikhs, are affected as well.”

We are a philanthropy blog and generally don’t cover non-philanthropy news, but this seems like a big deal to me.  This trend of hate crimes against our community is a huge problem and I’m glad that SAALT is stepping up to raise awareness about what has been an increasing trend, particularly since 9/11.  Thinking about this issue from our perspective at SAPP, I wonder what the role of nonprofits like SAALT and others is, and how philanthropy could make a difference in terms of diminishing racism and raising awareness about the diversity of our community.

At some level, these attacks leaves me speechless – I hope, however, that the dialogue continues, both among ourselves as South Asians and also beyond, so we can prevent violence like this from occurring again…

We’ve covered Wipro founder Premji here and here, who has pledged billions to primary education in India.  The list also mentions Ratan Tata (who we’ve covered here and here) and the Bain & Co. study on philanthropy in India that we covered here and here.

Congrats to all who were mentioned from around the world – what a fascinating set of philanthropists and hopefully a huge positive impact as a result.

• Terry Papneja, president of AIM for Seva, “a Canadian not-for-profit organization working towards educating underprivileged children in India”.
• Ravi Subramanian, founder and chairman of Silverline Technologies, who helped build a temple and community centre in the Greater Toronto Area dedicated to the followers of Sanatana Dharma, and who co-founded the Canada-India Foundation (CIF) in 2007.
• Harpreet Sethi, who has supported numerous charitable organizations such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), the William Osler Health Centre, and the KK Eye Institute in India.

Kudos to these generous Indo-Canadians and the others who received awards at the gala!