SEX, CHOCOLATE & CHARITY

SEX, CHOCOLATE &  CHASTITY CHARITY

“Did you know that when you make a donation to charity, your brain acts in a similar way to when you are having sex or eating chocolate? It’s true. Thanks to fMRI technology, researchers are able to see brain activity when certain acts are taken and in a study on charitable giving when people donated to a worthy cause, the midbrain region of the brain lit up. This is the area of the brain that is responsible for our cravings (food and sex) and pleasure rewards, showing the link between charitable giving and pleasure” To read more, click

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brady-josephson/want-to-be-happier-give-m_b_6175358.html

I AM DISTURBED….Yesterday, I went in to listen to one of India’s biggest entrepreneurs Shiv Nadar on a panel entitled “Beyond Business.” I was expecting to hear about his company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. But, was simply blown away to learn about the vision, missionary zeal and most importantly the grand scale of current and future ‘missions’ to uplift the financial backward.

One number stands out. In 2016, he contributed Rs. 650 Crores ($100 Million) to charity! One of his creations is a Rural Leadership Academy where the over 1500 brightest kids from rural India are educated and housed from Grade 6-12 at an approximate cost of Rs. 20 Lakh ($30,000) per student.

But actually beyond these huge numbers, what resonated even more so is the back-story. About 30 years ago, he was sharing with his mother what his plans were after he made his first big financial windfall. He explained to his mother his plans to invest in his company in order to make it stronger and succeed on the world stage.  After patiently listening to him, she commented – “ That’s all nice…but it all seems self serving. What are you going to about serving the community.” Mr. Nadar responded that he did indeed want to focus on charity, but only he had retired after building a large and successful company. His mother retorted “that’s what they all say….”  This was the moment the penny dropped for him and catalyzed him into immediate action.

As I sat in his presence, the sense of calm that emanated from this son of the soil from a small town was palpable. Here was someone clearly driven to ‘leave a ding in the universe’ while exuding serenity and inner happiness.

It got me thinking and brought back lessons learnt but temporarily forgotten. That the greatest joy that we can feel is when we reach out and help another. In fact, giving is among the most selfish acts. And now scientific data into the workings of the mind are also showing that the gratification and joy that one feels when giving without any strings attached is right up there with the forbidden fruit!

Yup, am shaken and stirred. A sense of not doing enough – both out of a sense of duty, but also just enlightened self interest is causing this churn……A few days ago, my friend Syd spoke about ‘Playing the Big Game’ and now this…..

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