The Joy of Giving

India is a land of huge contrasts. On one hand there are pockets of abject poverty and on the other there are pockets of tremendous affluence. It is not uncommon to witness the rich and the poor live cheek by jowl. Right below a posh high-rise building would be a slum with a high degree of interdependence between these two different worlds. Those living in the shanties often serve as domestic and other unskilled help to those living in the high-rise.

India boasts of having more high net worth individuals (HNIs) and ultra high net worth individuals (UHNIs) than ever before. But, is all this wealth translating into meaningful, effective or impactful philanthropy? Several researchers have tried to study philanthropy in India. However, Kassam, Handy and Janson have not just put useful and valuable data and information together, but also attempted to breathe life into the book with stories of individual philanthropists and how they are celebrating the joy of giving, often with innovation and an entrepreneurial approach.