When donation becomes obligatory demand
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: May 18, 2024 -

ANY voluntary 'donation made, either in terms of money or kind, towards helping people in need is one of the noblest and selfless acts of kindness anyone could do.

It is also a great way to support social causes that are closest to one's heart and create a positive impact in the society.

So, giving donations in a way benefits both the giver and the recipient.

In fact, there have been proven scientific studies and researches that show that in addition to helping people in need by supporting social causes, giving donation increases the levels of the hormone oxytocin in human body which is essential for reducing stress for improving the physical as well as mental well-being of the giver.

Researchers have found that the more people give, the higher their oxytocin levels.

In short, donating money to charity provides a sense of connection and social support, and ultimately helps in creating a meaningful relationship between the giver and the receiver for a shared purpose of existence on this planet.

Taking all these into consideration, governments around the world have been encouraging people to cultivate the habit of donating to charitable causes so as to help in reinforcing the importance of generosity and strengthening community participation in the nation building process.

In India too, the government offers tax incentives and exemptions under Section 80 G of the income Tax Act, 1961 for donating to charitable causes.

But, what if, the donation which is supposed to come voluntarily is forced upon the people?

What would happen then?

Of course, the very concept of charity, which is a selfless act of giving voluntarily, would become an obligation, a burden thrust upon the people.

With that the genuine altruism of helping those in need and the positive impact it might generate in the society would be in jeopardy.

This is exactly how the shop owners and women vendors at Yairipok Keithel must have felt when they decided to a stage a sit-in demonstation against 'unreasonable and unaffordable' monetary demand made by different organisations.

As All Yairipok Dukandar Association president Lairikyengbam Shyamcharan had stated, shop owners and women vendors at Yairipok Keithel have been contributing regularly to all sorts of donation and assistance drives carried out since the ethnic conflict between the Meetei/Meitei and Kuki-Chin communities broke out in the state on May 3 last year, but of the several organisations which are raising fund for fending off the aggression of armed Kuki-Chin militants, some have been insisting on donating the amount they asked for.

Moreover, some organisations are resorting to daily collection and forcing the shop owners to contribute daily.

In such a situation, it is obvious for the shop owners and women vendors to raise their voice even if the donation drives being carried out may be for a social cause dearest to their hearts, which is safeguarding the territorial integrity of Manipur.

How are they supposed to run their businesses when several organisations simultaneously conducting donation drives and some insisting on donating the amount fixed by them?

This is what we are talking about - the voluntary act of donating money for a social cause becoming a burden.

As a matter of fact, the problem of donation drives being faced by the shop owners and women vendors at Yairipok Keithel is not an isolated incident in the state today.

Apart from shopkeepers and vendors, many households, which are trying to keep their hearth burning in this most trying time, are facing the same burden with so many organisations sprouting up in the name of fighting for the cause of people.

When the request for donation becomes an obligatory demand, the writing on the wall is clear.

It is a perfect setting for social chaos and anarchy.