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Gift of sensitivity

The next time you are invited to a function, think out of the box and brighten the lives of the deprived

AFP PHOTO

FULL OF CHEER True Gift, the donation-based gift store has a tie-up with many NGOs

It was the wedding of a friend and Jayendra Panchapakesan, director, Real Image Media Technologies, Chennai, wondered what to gift someone who possessed everything money could buy. He came up with something his friend would always cherish — the gift of sight. He sponsored an eye surgery at Sankara Eye Center on behalf of the friend and got the trust to send a card to him with details of the gift.

After that, such alternative gifts became the norm for Jayendra, who is also Trustee, Bhoomika Trust (044-24981967).

A real gift

"We invariably gift things like wall hangings and artefacts people may already have or have no use for. Gifting vision is a great alternative idea," he says.

To get more people to do the same, he started True Gifts at Alwarpet in Chennai. The donation-based gift store has a tie-up with many NGOs and maintains a list of things they need.

So, people can go through a range of options and choose the one closest to their heart.

You can sponsor anything from Rs. 500 to Rs. 50,000. This can cover things like supplying medicine to a spastic child (Rs. 500), buying two mentally challenged children new clothes (Rs. 525) and bearing the cost of a child's cancer treatment at the Cancer Institute (Rs. 50,000).

Buy sensibly

This is not to say that bouquets and wall hangings must be shown the door. Flowers do lend cheer. So, buy them sensibly.

"Spending precious money, at least a couple of hundreds, on a bunch of roses or carnations is fine, provided you are the only one gifting them. They are perfect for a cosy gathering or an evening out with friends; not in a place where the flowers wither without attention," says Kausalya, a professional.

Vanitha Mohan, Executive Director, Pricol, and Managing Trustee, Siruthuli, Coimbatore, recalls staying up late in the night after her son's wedding reception despatching dozens of the gifted bouquets to hospitals in the city to brighten up the rooms. "I am not against flowers, but the money could have been usefully spent on donating meals to an orphanage or helping someone regain eyesight," she says

Greening your city

If you love your enough, you can make a contribution to help organisations involved in topping up the city's green cover. So, why not be different this wedding season? Like Rotarian Ramesh Veeraraghavan, an entrepreneur, who, for the past 10 years has refrained from buying bouquets. Instead, he has invested his money in people. He too has helped restore the sight of the underprivileged. "Why waste money just to keep up an image?" he asks.

Not stopping with his contribution, he actively encourages his friends to join his cause too. As for the response of the receiver, he says that every single person has reacted very positively.

Says Jayendra: "You can do anything. If it is your father's 60th birthday, sponsor a meal at an old age home. For your child's birthday, help organise a magic show in an orphanage. It spreads so much cheer."

SUBHA J. RAO

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