Lala, R. M.

Philanthropy, is becoming a hugh enterprise, with wealthy businessmen setting aside fortunes for worthy cause. Their targets are ambitious: no less than the removal of disease, disparity and deprivation on a vast scale that even governments may not be able to tackle. Thus, Bill Gates is striving to eradicate AIDS and Azim Premji is donating billions towards improving primary school education. And the Tatas have been running a host of institutions that have made a positive difference in the lives of thousands over the decades. In The Art of Effective Giving, R.M. Lala, director of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust for eighteen years, shows how the choice to give enriched the lives of leading businessmen who practised philanthropy with the same passion that they showed as entrepreneurs. These pacesetters can serve as examples for us to follow in our own small ways. For compassion is greater than wealth, and learning to care is all that is necessary to make a difference. The Art of Effective Giving is about spreading the circle of people willing to reach out to others - for the sheer joy of giving.