Mumbai : To counter the perception that Hindu religious bodies do not engage in charity, the Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair Foundation will be holding a fair from February 12 to 14 to showcase the charity work done by these organisations.
The fair is being initiated by S. Gurumurthy, eminent economist. “It all began when in a meeting with Indian activists and NRI groups in Atlanta, US. I felt there is an impression that Hindu spiritualism does not focus on service to humanity. I started studying the matter and came to know that they are doing some amazing work,” Gurumurthy said.
Speaking about the Sathya Sai Foundation, he said they provided drinking water to over 700 drought affected villages. “I felt something needs to be done because unfortunately the image of Hindus becomes the image of India,” he added.
Alka Mandke, chairperson of the fair’s organising committee, said that it is not so that Hindu organisations do not engage in charity, but the work that we do is not known. One organisation does not know what work the other is doing, nor do people get to know. The fair will serve as a platform. NGOs and corporates are also invited to see the work done by the organisations. They can also make donations.
Over a 100 organisations have registered to showcase their work at Lakshmi Park ground, Goregaon. The organisers are expecting over 20,000 people to visit the event. The fair was first started in 2009 in Chennai and has been organised annually ever since. In 2015, it was held in Jaipur and Bangalore. It will also have cultural programs as a part of it.