As 2019 comes to a close, it's time to reflect on ahistoric and memorable year. Our GolfChannel.com writers weigh in on their favorite moments.

WILL GRAY:Its a moment that might seem inconsequential, given the player involved didnt even make the cut, let alone contend or win. But the scene late Friday afternoon at Royal Portrush is one I wont soon forget, as all of Northern Ireland tried to will Rory McIlroy to the weekend after a disastrous start.

The hype for McIlroys starring role in The Opens return to Portrush lasted only a hole, but by the time he reached the treacherous 16thhole an improbable weekend appearance was still up for grabs. The Ulsterman took dead aim at Calamity, knocked it to 15 feet and rolled in the birdie putt in the chilly mist.

Rory McIlroy would love nothing more than to play The Open weekend. But even in defeat, the homecoming at Royal Portrush proved deeply emotional as the local hero saw his charge at the cut line come up just a shot short.

With nearly every fan on the property seemingly drawn to the narrow passage from the dune overlooking the 16thgreen to the 17thtee, McIlroy strode confidently ahead. It wasnt to be, and minutes later his Open ended, but for a brief instance overlooking the cliffs there was magic in the air and a country united behind its favorite son.

REX HOGGARD:In the twilight gloom Rory McIlroy marched up the 18thfairway at Royal Portrush to thunderous applause. He wasnt going to win The Open. He wasnt even going to play the final two rounds, but the emotion of both the crowd and McIlroy proved how much in meant for golfs oldest championship to return to Northern Ireland.

McIlroy made a mess of his first round, hitting his opening tee shot out of bounds on his way to a quadruple-bogey 8 and a first-round 79. Only in retrospect was the Northern Irishman able to concede he was overcome by the moment.

The last time Rory McIlroy teed it up was last week, when he missed the cut at The Open Championship, but there were lessons to be learned.

But it was McIlroys inspired attempt to make the cut that produced the years best moment. On Friday, he played his first nine holes in 2 under before birdies at Nos. 10, 11 and 12 moved him to within a shot of earning a spot in the weekend field. His attempt to make the cut fell short with a par at the closing hole but the moment, even in relative defeat, was unforgettable.

Today was probably one of the most fun rounds of golf I've ever played, he said following Round 2. It's strange saying that standing here and having had a bit of success and won this championship before. To play in front of those crowds today and to feel that momentum and really dig in, it's going to be a tough one to get over.

RYAN LAVNER:Now that the tournament has smashed all expectations, its safe to admit: I was skeptical about the Augusta National Womens Amateur.

I thought most of the amateur stars would tee it up instead in the LPGA major. (Incorrect.)

I thought the flow of competition would be disrupted by the practice day before the final round. (Nope.)

I thought Augusta National wouldnt be set up in a way that could both challenge the players and still produce the usual fireworks.

Oh, was I wrong about that.

No one knew what to expect from the inaugural Augusta National Women's Amateur, but Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi put on a display no one will ever forget.

The final-round duel between Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi was so dizzying, their level of play so spectacular, their sportsmanship so inspiring, that it literally made me teary-eyed standing behind the 18thgreen in what eventually became my favorite moment of the year.

Those two players in particular faced such an incredible burden in the inaugural event. They were pioneers, the faces of the tournament, sure-fire future LPGAers who turned down pro checks for amateur glory. They were the first women to compete at the home of the Masters, and yet they handled that responsibility and that stage with such effortless grace, culminating in one sweet moment on 18: The birdie, the roars, the hug.

Why did that moment resonate so deeply? Seven months later, Im still not exactly sure. Maybe it was because, having covered the college game, Id gotten to know Kupcho and Fassi over the past few years, and I was happy to see their success. Perhaps it was because their genuine respect and admiration for each other, even in the heat of competition, was so refreshing. But its most likely because the first edition of the ANWA had been so unexpectedly brilliant that now the future seemed limitless for those two stars who will be inextricably linked, sure, but also for the thousands of young girls watching at home, hoping one day that could be them.

RANDALL MELL:There were so many magical moments in golf this past year, from Tiger Woods winning the Masters to Hinako Shibuno introducing her charms to the world in her victory at the AIG Womens British Open to Suzann Pettersens fairy-tale walk-off ending to the Solheim Cup, but none was more enchanting than what Amy Bockerstette gave us at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

I got this!

Her words didnt just stick in the minds of so many people who watched and re-watched her viral moment. They stuck in so many hearts. Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar and Norman Vincent Peale couldnt top her inspirational message.

Amy Bockerstette, a 20-year-old golfer with Down syndrome, got to play the iconic 16th hole at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and made par with Gary Woodland watching.

The Special Olympics golfer with Down Syndrome made a lifelong friend in Gary Woodland, getting up and down for par from that bunker at TPC Scottsdales iconic 16thhole earlier this year.

Shes meant everything for me from a mental standpoint, said Woodland, who went on to win the U.S. Open four months after playing alongside Amy. Her attitude, her love of life, her love for the game and her positive energy is so contagious.

Her message was a gift to anyone who watched her make par in Phoenix.

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Punch Shot: What was the most memorable moment of 2019? - Golf Channel

If you have found yourself stuck in a rut wondering what you are really doing every day, then check out some of these uplifting quotes to start your day. These quotes will bring a new meaning to every day and make you realize that every day is equally important.

Here are 20 motivational quotes to start your day

You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want. Zig Ziglar

Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working. Pablo Picasso

Don't settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. Angela Bassett

Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too. Isabel Allende

Don't bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. Aim for the company of immortals. David Ogilvy

I have stood on a mountain of nos for one yes. Barbara Elaine Smith

If you believe something needs to exist, if it's something you want to use yourself, don't let anyone ever stop you from doing it. Tobias Ltke

First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you're inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won't. Habit is persistence in practice. Octavia Butler

The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourselfthe invisible, inevitable battles inside all of usthat's where it's at." Jesse Owens

Someone will declare, I am the leader! and expect everyone to get in line and follow him or her to the gates of heaven or hell. My experience is that it doesnt happen that way. Others follow you based on the quality of your actions rather than the magnitude of your declarations. Bill Walsh

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Dale Carnegie

"If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever." Thomas Aquinas

"You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches." Dita Von Teese

"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Calvin Coolidge

The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. Arthur C. Clarke

Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently. Maya Angelou

"I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now." Edna Mode

"The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone elses highlight reel." Steve Furtick

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. Amelia Earhart

I will not lose, for even in defeat, theres a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me. Jay-Z

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Here are 20 motivational quotes to start your day - India Today

When a young woman travels from New York City to an ashram in India to overcome her struggles with mental health, an exuberant guru's lessons provoke reflections on prayer, summer camp, and the role of Judaism in the lives of her late father and his biological mother, a Holocaust survivor he never met. At select moments, the audience is invited to move, chant, and reflect on their own spiritual journeys and identities-the ones we inherit and the ones we make for ourselves. A funny, poignant, lightly interactive solo show about spiritual healing and identity. http://www.thejewintheashram.com.

"The Jew in the Ashram is devastating, hilarious, comfortably interactive and piercingly real. Amanda's story is all of ours in its relatability and also unique to her own journey. Jew or not, adult or teen, all will enjoy this piece is as both a stand-alone work of art and an educational experience, setting the stage for further exploration." Sarah Sokolic, Executive Director, Lab/Shul

Thurs Jan 9, 2020. 8-9pm. One night only!

Whitefire Theatre. 13500 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

$20, available here - https://thejewintheashram.brownpapertickets.com/

Amanda Erin Miller (Creator, Performer) is an NYC-based writer, actor and Jewish educator. She has performed The Jew in the Ashram in a variety of settings including Temple Beth Shalom of Hastings, NY; The Kings Bay Y in Brooklyn, NY; Brandeis Collegiate Institute in Simi Valley, CA; Fringe Festivals, yoga studios and more. In 2013, her memoir One Breath, Then Another was published on Lucid River Press. Since 2010, Amanda has been combining theater arts, yoga and Jewish education in her work with synagogues and camps including Lab/Shul, Kolot Chayeinu, Temple Emanu-El, Union Temple and Sprout Brooklyn. She holds an MFA Creative Writing from The New School and a BFA in Acting from NYU.

The rest is here:

THE JEW IN THE ASHRAM At Whitefire Theatre's Solofest 2020 - Broadway World

In yet another hearing of Nithyananda case, there are four more parents who have come forward and filed Habeas Corpuses and stated their grievances that the Gujarat Police is keeping the children against their will and not letting the children also meet their parents. The parents and children were as follows - Girish Turlapati father of Natanga Turlapati (14), Satish Selvakumar father of Prisha Satish(16), Anil Kumar father of Bhuvan Pallav (17), Mani Ramalingam father of Ashwath Mani (17).

In these habeas Corpora, the petitioner claims that the 'Gurukul has become a war zone. What is the need for so much police in a place of education?' Also that the children are kept against their will in the ashram premises.

When the matter came to hearing in High Court, the judge said that the minors who are in the ashram will have to be produced in the court so that it can be understood that the children are not kept against their will. The children and the investigating officer need to be called to the court and their statements will be recorded before the court of law. When the parents were called, the court individually asked all of the children on whether they wanted to live with parents or in the ashram. To this, the children replied that they indeed wanted to live in the ashram.

READ | Nithyananda case: Parents of missing girls ask 'What are the police doing?'

The judge enquired that since the adults (both saadhvis) and in-charge of the ashram were in police custody, who was taking care of the children in Ashram. There were several ashram volunteers who were present in the court and said that they are the temporary custodians of the children. The court, not convinced, said that there needs to be a child welfare committee official and a lady official present at the ashram at all times.

READ | Nithyananda case: HC calls parent's claim of police torturing children 'baseless'

The petitioners also stated their grievance that the children had been interrogated in an abusive manner and that there were obscene videos that were shown to the children by police officers. That, the police officers had been abusing the children and were saying 'if you continue to be in the ashram, you will be raped.'

To this, the judge stated, "We all have to bear with the police investigation, but it is of utmost importance to this court that the children are not traumatized. Investigation shall not be thwarted or hampered for anything and if interrogation of children needs to be done - it needs to be done in a legal manner. They should not be traumatized", the judge said.

READ | EXCLUSIVE: Nithyananda had applied for citizenship & asylum in Belize, Central America

The court told the public prosecutor representing the Gujarat police, that they (parents) can be frisked before entering and full checking can be done but you can't prevent the parents to meet children. Also that the parents can not be present during taking statements of the children (since they are witnesses in the case), and that 'no shelter to parents behind their children'.

In the end, the court also stated that there needed to be a CWC official and a lady officer also present during the statement recording of the children. While the written order was reserved for tomorrow, the judge stated that the parents' comings and goings will be recorded and they will be checked before entering the premises under investigation.

READ | Nithyananda's Ashram in Karnataka under lockdown, visitors entry prohibited

Lastly, the judge said, 'court is not concerned with the criminal investigation. Primarily it looks like none of the children arekept against their will. Police will allow parents to visit children from tomorrow.'

READ | Nithyananda's advocate reacts to the allegations on his client

Originally posted here:

Children in Nithyananda Ashram produced before the Gujarat High Court - Republic World - Republic World

When Sangeetha Arjunan died in 2014 at an ashram run by Nithyananda, a controversial godman who the police now say has fled the country, his organisation said she had suffered cardiac arrest.

But Sangeetha's mother, Jansi Rani, says she's certain her daughter was killed. And she wants the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe.

In an interview with India Today TV, Jansi Rani spoke at length about her ordeal, from the time when Sangeetha was still an inmate at Nithyananda's Bengaluru ashram to events surrounding her death.

'HELD CAPTIVE'

A native of Trichy, Sangeetha Arjunan lived in the Bengaluru ashram between 2008 and 2014. At the time of her death -- December 28, 2014 -- she headed the computer department. She was only 24.

Jansi Rani told India Today TV she made multiple attempts to bring her daughter back home.

Not only was Sangeetha in "a very bad state", but she also once admitted ashram authorities claimed the right to hit inmates, who consented to the harsh punishment in a signed form, Jansi Rani said.

Then, one day, Sangeetha herself said she wanted to come back, her mother said.

Jansi Rani gave a chilling account of what followed: no sooner had they reached home than four men arrived to take Sangeetha back; they claimed she had stolen from the ashram and threatened to go to the police.

Once at the ashram, Sangeetha was "held captive", and Jansi Rani wasn't allowed in despite going there "more than ten times" and standing outside the gates "for hours".

Jansi Rani said she wasn't allowed to speak to her daughter on the phone. She said two others in the ashram -- Hamsananda and Pranananda -- kept making excuses to avoid her calls.

The ashram "made me promise before God that I wouldn't go to the media," but also promised to return Sangeetha, she said. But it wasn't to be.

"I never saw my daughter again."

Alive.

'I DON'T HAVE ANYONE'

An official release with the Nithyananda Sangha's account of the circumstances surrounding Sangeetha's death can still be accessed on its website.

It says Sangeetha died of "sudden cardiac arrest", but that's not all: it goes on to describe a family "with a history of cardiac problems leading to death at a young age" and contains links to CCTV footage and testimonies by a number of people, including a video of Jansi Rani thanking Nithyananda for healing her.

But Sangeetha's family has said she did not have a heart condition.

"My daughter was killed. I am sure of it," Jansi Rani told India Today TV.

She said Nithyananda's organisation wanted to cremate Sangeetha at an ashram; it was only due to her "continuous insistence", she said, that she was allowed to bring her daughter home.

Then there's the issue of the post-mortems.

Jansi Rani said an initial examination was done only when she insisted on bring her daughter's body home to conduct last rites.

Relatives noticed swelling and clotting on her legs, Jansi Rani said, and she then complained at the Ram Nagar police station in Bengaluru.

A second post-mortem, carried out under pressure from Jansi Rani, found there were "no organs" inside Sangeetha's body.

A high court judge observed last year that the second autopsy "revealed that important organs were removed" in the first one, according to a report by The News Minute.

Jansi Rani said there's been no progress in the case.

"It has been five years since I filed a case in a Karnataka court," Jansi Rani said. "Only a year back did a judge say that the case can be transferred to CBI, but within ten days of the observation, the judge was transferred."

She remembered how, in 2014, she requested parents with children at the Nithyananda ashram to bring them back. "They should not face a fate similar to my daughter's," she said.

And she described the toll the ordeal has taken on her family.

"After my daughter, my husband -- heartbroken -- suffered for two years and then died," Jansi Rani said. "Now I dont have anyone."

"I have lost everything."

Link:

My daughter was murdered, I've lost everything: A Nithyananda disciple's mother recalls her ordeal - India Today

More News 28 Nov 2019 | 5:31 PM

Nagpur, Nov 28 (UNI) Prodding locals to extend support to an annual event of the insurgents, Naxals reportedly blocked a road in the Gadchiroli district on Thursday.

Mumbai, Nov 28 (UNI) Shiv Sena on Thursday described Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar as 'margdarshak' (guide) of the new government in the state.

Mumbai, Nov 28 (UNI) Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray will attend the swearing-in ceremony of the chief minister-designate and cousin Uddhav Thackeray to be held on Thursday evening at Shivaji Park here.

Mumbai, Nov 28 (UNI) NCP senior leader Jayant Patil on Thursday disclosed that his partyman Ajit Pawar will not take an oath at the swearing-in ceremony this evening of chief minister-elect Uddhav Thackeray.

Panaji, Nov 28 (UNI) Gautam Halder, a national award winning director, on Thursday said that his film Nirban deals with rising above petty prejudices and finding nirvana.

Originally posted here:

Nityanand Ashram case: Police custody of accused women extended - United News of India

States WestPosted at: Nov 22 2019 9:34PM

Ahmedabad, Nov 22 (UNI) The two sisters and disciple of controversial self-styled godman Swami Nityanand, for whose production in court their father had moved the Gujarat High Court, on Friday issued another video, presumably from a Caribbean country, claiming that they were ready to come to India, provided they were allowed to return under court protection.

The eldest daughter of ex-disciple of Nityananda, Janardan Sarma of Tamil Nadu, who had knocked the doors of the HC, alleging that his daughters have been kidnapped by the Ashram and taken abroad, Lopa Mudra and younger one, Nityanandita, issued the video and called for an open debate on the issue.

Nityanandita, who had dodged the police and other authorities reportedly to move out of India from the Ashram here, even alleged that her father (in the video she continuously addressed her father by his first name, Janardan) had tried to blackmail her earlier to file a rape case under the POCSO Act against Nityanand.

'Swamji (Nityanand) had not only reared four of us (three sisters and one brother) as his own children, but also taken care of Janardan and Bhuvaneshwari (parents) in a similar manner.

Lopa Mudra, the elder one, said they were willing to come to India for appearing before the Gujarat HC on November 26, the next date of hearing in the habeas corpus case.

She put forth five conditions for it. First, they should be given police and court protection till their return. Second, they should not be 'kidnapped' by their family. Third, they should not be arrested.

Fourth, the court should not order them with whom to live, as 'we both are major'.

Lastly, she demanded that the two ladies of the Ashram, including its local care-taker Pranpriya, who have been arrested by the police, should be released.

Meanwhile, Mr Sarma reiterated his allegations that the Ashram people have kidnapped his daughters.

'How could my daughter Nityanadita, who was just 18 when she had arrived in Ahmedabad eight months back, manage to go out of the country? Who arranged the money and Visa for her travel?

'I also want to understand as to what kind of spiritual training my daughters are getting from the Ashram people that they are calling their own parents kidnappers,' he added.

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Nityanand Ashram case: Missing sisters issue new video, put forth conditions for coming to India - United News of India

Four minor students of a Rs Gurukul' run by godman Nithyananda were produced before the Gujarat High Court on Wednesday, after their parents alleged that they had been held Rs hostage' by the police.

The Gurukul-cum-Ashram (a residential school) is situated at Hirapur village on the outskirts of the city.

As the habeas corpus petitions came up for hearing on Wednesday afternoon, Justice S R Brahmbhatt asked police to immediately produce the four students -- two boys and two girls.

The four teenage students were produced before the court in the evening.

A habeas corpus petition is filed to obtain a direction from the court to the authorities to produce someone who has gone missing or is suspected to have been held in captivity illegally.

The parents claimed that they were not allowed to meet their children by the Ahmedabad district police, who are probing a complaint filed by another parent that his two daughters were held captive by the Ashram authorities. The petitioners alleged that their children had been "kept like hostages in the Gurukul" by the police who are investigating the case of missing girls.

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4 students of Nithyananda's Gurukul produced in HC - Daily Pioneer

New Delhi: As trouble brews for controversial godman Nithyananda, the mother of a 24-year-old woman who died under mysterious circumstances outside his ashram demanded on Tuesday a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Sangeetha had died at Nithyanandas ashram on the outskirts of Bengaluru on December 28, 2014. After her death, her parents approached the Bengaluru Police and filed a complaint against Nithyananda alleging that she had been tortured and died under mysterious circumstances inside the ashram.

The CBI should probe my daughters case as the Bengaluru Police failed to conduct an inquiry into Sangeethas death. Many women and children who reside in the Bengaluru ashram are being tortured and killed. To make sure they are safe, the CBI should investigate the case, Sangeethas mother, Jansi Rani, told News18.

Sangeetha, who hailed from Trichy district, joined the ashram in 2010 and died four years later. While the ashram told the family she had succumbed to a heart attack, the parents suspected foul play and lodged a complaint with the Bengaluru Police.

In the complaint letter, the parents alleged that Sangeetha was assaulted in the ashram and that they had seen injury marks and bruises on her legs. The mother said she wanted to bring her daughter back but the officials did not allow her to meet the girl alone. The parents said Sangeetha was always accompanied by other 'sanyasis' to ensure that she did not reveal details of the ashram.

Nithyananda is also an accused in an alleged rape case filed against him in Karnataka. The godman has been on the run and two of his disciples, Pranpriya and Priyatatva, have been arrested by the Ahmedabad Police.

The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday, in response to a habeas corpus filed by the father of two women missing from the Ahmedabad ashram, directed police to use all available mechanism to trace the duo. A division bench directed the police to consult Interpol and Ministry of External Affairs, as well as other agencies, to trace the two women, ensure their protection from any threat, and assure them their independent will and choice will be respected by the judiciary.

Meanwhile, a 15 year-old-girl who was rescued from an ashram belonging to Nithyananda a month ago has alleged she was made to wear jewellery and makeup in the middle of the night and be a part of videos for him.

Get the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you in real time.

Originally posted here:

We Demand a CBI Probe, Says Mother of 24-year-old Who Was Found Dead Near Nithyananda's Ashram - News18

Anurag Behar As CEO of the Azim Premji Foundation, Anurag Behar is steering one of the largest philanthropic initiatives in the world, powered by a $21 billion bequest made by Wipro Founder Azim Premji. The Foundation focusses on improving the quality of government school teachers, makes grants to non-profit organisations, and runs the Azim Premji University that trains people for the social sector. In an interview with Forbes India, Behar talks about the Foundations work and how philanthropists could be more connected with social realities. Edited excerpts:

Q. How are you using the rise in endowment to expand fieldwork? We extensively support capacity development of government school teachers in Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, apart from Puducherry, one district in Telangana and in the Northeast. We have roughly 1,500 people on the field, which should go up to 2,500 or 3,000 in the next five years. We will deepen our work in places where we are already present. For example, if we are working in 10 out of 17 blocks in the Barmer district of Rajasthan, we will build ground-level presence in the remaining seven too. Right now, teachers from these seven blocks are engaging with us at a much lower frequency.

Q. How many teachers has the Foundation trained in the last ten years? I have absolutely no count of how many teachers we have trained; the total number will be in lakhs in the last 10 years. We keep track of how many teachers we are engaged with in a three-month cycle, which is close to 1.75 lakh. This is because building capacity is not a one-shot process: It involves multiple sessions, different modes and levels of engagement.

Q. What about the new Azim Premji University campus in Bhopal? The Azim Premji University is currently operating from a rented premise [in Bengaluru]. Our campus is under construction [on its outskirts], and we will move there by next June. Over the next four years, our student numbers will go up from the current 1,300 to 6,000. This expansion will be significant for us because the financial model of our university is that roughly 90 percent of expenses are borne by the Foundation, while 10 percent is paid for by the students.

We are also setting up a university in Bhopal, and are discussing approvals with the government. Our objective is to set up the university in two to three years, and accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 students. We will perhaps set up a third university in five years.

Q. How many non-profits have you provided grants to and how do you pick your causes? We have supported about 220 NGOs across India, which in turn have operations in multiple states and districts. Our approach toward grant-making is to support not-for-profit organisations that are working with the most vulnerable groups of society. This work could range from basic efforts to ameliorate the conditions of people to addressing more complicated causes. We have supported initiatives that work in the areas of farmer distress, women who face violence, or homeless children. We help organisations put better processes and systems in place.

Q. What are the lessons that have altered your approach towards the sector? First, we have to recognise that the Foundation is insignficant in the context of India, and still try our bestbecause we are certainly more privileged than most other organisations in terms of our resources. Its a complex and often messy reality out there. There is no full understanding of what the causes are, no agreement on what the end-state is, and there rarely can be, that is the sign of a vibrant democracy.

Second, in business or physical science, you get used to finding the perfect solution. Social realities are so complex that you cannot have solutions, only effort toward improvements. Once you develop that mindset, individual philanthropists or organisations need to be humble. Not always, but too often, people with money start believing that they have all the solutions and that they know better. Youve made money in business, which is great, but if you are thrown in front of 30 children and asked to teach them for a year, you will have no idea what to do.

Third, you have to be really connected to the ground. This is a huge problem. People who sit in cabins in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi or the Western hemisphere have to mould themselves to suit the realities out there. The reality will not suit their ideas. Personally, I dont think there is some great, transformational philanthropy happening in India right now, or that the country was impoverished of philanthropy earlier. Right now, philanthropy is too often being propped up as a flavour of the month, a talking point. If you go back some 80-100 years ago, there were people like JRD Tata and Jamnalal Bajaj or Amblal Sarabhai who have done incredible things for nation-building. The notion that somehow India has discovered philanthropy now is just a delusion.

Q. So were first-generation entrepreneurs more in touch with the realities of the social sector than businessmen today? Early-generation entrepreneurs like Jamnalal Bajaj, Jamshetji Tata, and Ambalal Sarabhai had a lot more wisdom than many of theeven sincerephilanthropists of today. This is a broad-brush comparison and Im sure there are philanthropists today who are equally enlightenedbut my sense is that we can do with a lot more wisdom today and do less with strategy smart thinking etc.

One of my favourite stories to explain this is about the time when Mahatma Gandhi took in a Dalit couple, a community he later referred to as Harijans, into the Sabarmati ashram. Funders stopped supporting him. One night, a sheth drove to the ashram and realised that it was on the brink of shutting down, and immediately handed Gandhi `15,000, an amount that would have easily sustained the ashram for more than two years. That was Vikram Sarabhais father, Ambalal. Todays philanthropists would have gotten wrapped up in asking the Mahatma for a theory of change or impact measurement. What would have happened if Mahatma Gandhi had been forced to shut down Sabarmati Ashram? That tells you about what humility and wisdom combined with philanthropy can do.

(This story appears in the 27 December, 2019 issue of Forbes India. You can buy our tablet version from Magzter.com. To visit our Archives, click here.)

Originally posted here:

'Philanthropists need to be humble': Azim Premji Foundation CEO - Forbes India