November 28, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Where is India’s Warren Buffett?
Shantanu Dutta, who raises money for Viva India, a charity in New Delhi, laments that despite increasing wealth in his country, rich Indians prefer to spend their money on private jets, lavish birthday parties, or BMWs.
“The passion for philanthropy is missing,” he writes on Mutiny.in, a blog that discusses Indian society.
“Even as we read about Indian industrialists getting wealthier and wealthier, and also read in the same vein about Warren Buffett giving away 85 percent of his fortune, the topmost question on my mind is whether we can expect to have in our amidst a man of the generosity of Buffett anytime soon,” he writes.
While the number and effectiveness of nonprofit groups have grown in India, Mr. Dutta writes that the scarcity of homegrown philanthropists makes fund raising difficult.
“It is not a pleasant job; at times one can feel a kindred spirit with a beggar, though of course here one is not soliciting funds for one self but for a larger and nobler cause,” he writes.
What do you think? How can India push its wealthy to give more to charity? Are there emerging Indian philanthropists Mr. Dutta is not mentioning? Click on the comments link below to share your thoughts.
