The habit of charity doesn't come so easy and to encourage that every year Daan Utsav is celebrated. It was formerly known as 'The Joy of Giving Week' which is basically the festival of philanthropy. The celebration starts with Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 and goes on for the entire next week. The basic premise is to engage in acts of giving- be it time, resources or skills. Several NGOs, corporate and government organisation along with individuals do some kind of contributions for those in need. Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti 2018: Importance and Significance of Celebrating The Birthday of Father of The Nation. 

The festival was initially called the "India Giving Week" but after some changes it was called the "Joy of Giving Week". Many corporate companies be a part of these celebrations for their Corporate Social Responsibility Division. The philanthropic efforts can be in terms of volunteering, creating awareness, educating or doing fundraisers to generate a larger amount. Meghan Markle Makes Secret Trips to Cook for Grenfell Tower Victims, Supports Them for a Charity Cookbook (See Pictures). 

For Daan Utsav 2018, some individuals have already started their plans. This year will be the tenth edition of this festive week and about 10 citizens from different parts of the country have pledged to give at least 50% of their wealth for charity. The initiative is called #LivingMyPromise. Any one with a net worth of one crore rupees or more, can participate. According to TOI report, it was a brainchild of a yoga teacher Bangalore, Tanu and Girish Batra. "Many people in the West feel their responsibility is to society rather than to their children. But in our community, giving back to society is largely absent and the need is a thousand times more than in the developed world," she was quoted in the report.

Along with this, another initiative called the #GivingTuesdayIndia will also be arranging campaigns and participate in the Daan Utsav. They want to engage more and more to participate and aim to raise almost Rs 10 crore. Since a lot of people are active on their mobile phone apps, the digital fundraising campaigns will be initiated. So a lot of people who are otherwise busy in their daily routines, can take some time off and be a part of Daan Utsav.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2018 01:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).