Why People Give Interpreting Altruism

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We regularly see numerous displays of altruistic behaviour and instances of philanthropy, where the beneficiaries are often complete strangers. We cannot understand philanthropy without considering the motivation for giving: Why people give, their beliefs and, more importantly, the realization that in giving we receive.

This book is passionately argued, deeply researched and full of indelible stories of real people. The authors build a case for altruism and the urgent need for empathy in an increasingly self-centred and materialistic world.

Through stories drawn from real life, this book will change how we look at the act of giving. It shows that each one of us can bring about a change, if only we have the will. We don't have to wait for governments or big corporations to act because the power lies within us-we can be the catalysts.

Ratna Vira

After a successful career where she worked at the CXO level in multinational and leading Indian corporates, Ratna Vira turned to writing fiction in English, with her work highlighting issues of deep social concerns. Her first book, Daughter by Court Order, was a national bestseller, reaching fourth in the Indian fiction lists in 2014, and it was featured in The New York Times. In the book, she talks boldly about issues of feudalism, patriarchy, and the rights of women. This theme was carried forward into her second book, It's Not About You, which was in the list of 35 Top Fiction and Non-Fiction Books of 2016. The book is about a single mother dealing with the school and the world when her son is found battered, beaten and bullied at school. Ratna is presently working on her third fiction book, which again holds up a mirror to the society.

Ratna's creativity extends to art. She is amongst the few Indian authors who write and paint. She is known for her charcoal paintings and mainly makes faces that express the different facets and stories of life and the world. The eyes in her charcoal paintings speak of the stories within, the struggles and the experiences of the people she draws.

She did her Masters from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, and is an alumnus of St Stephen's College, Delhi. Ratna has been a guest speaker at leading schools and universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, international business schools and has spoken at literature festivals and has also been part of several distinguished panels.

Suhasini Vira

Suhasini is a second-year undergraduate student studying Economics and Politics at Durham University. She has been awarded the Laidlaw Scholarship for Research and Leadership. For her scholarship research project, she is analysing the priorities and effectiveness of youth employment policy in India. She is the Co-Chief Editor of the Durham University Economics Journal and the Editor, Business and Economics, of the university's online magazine, The Bubble. She spends her free time sketching, dancing and bingeing shows on Netflix.

Over the past few years, I have learnt to be an observer, to watch and see what people do, to understand what their motivations are. I watch the world spin, and I feel breathless; everyone is in a hurry. Money is a number, and people are just social media profiles. I feel intimidated by the explosion of information but do not voice my doubts, convinced as I am that other people may feel differently. And, as I grow older, I find that I am pulled more and more to the past.

But, then, no one else knew my nana-nani the way I did. Grandchildren have a unique perspective; they see the past from where their story begins. They know no past and don't, as little children, care about what happens next. The future is just a word. They believe what they are told and judge only later when they piece the past together and get a perspective.

I was no different. I spent many years with my maternal grandparents, Mr H. D. Shourie and Mrs Dayawanti Shourie. My nana, who started Common Cause, worked at one end of the dining table, while I sat at the other side, doing the school homework.

Little did I realize then that he was setting up an organization that would help many many people. For nana, it was the larger picture that mattered. It was helping the masses that motivated him to draft petition after petition and present these to the courts. He would, at an advanced age, drive across to the Delhi High Court and argue the cases himself.

Nani, on the other hand, was interested in the immediate; her influence was beatific. She held people together. Her concern for those around her was genuine. From her, I learnt empathy. I learnt that every life mattered, that every person was someone. That people can get taken in and fooled in some cases, but you cannot fake empathy. Empathy is like a switch in our brains; some have it turned on and others don't. Often, people from the same family differ.

**Contents and Sample Pages**