Are You Celebrating India’s Giving Festival This Year?

Don’t we all love a good festival? People coming together. Delicious food. Lots of gifts. Celebrations that go into the night. A feeling of love and togetherness that last for weeks.

We all love a good festival. So how about a festival of good?

People coming together to do good. Cooking delicious food for those in need. Gifting those you love and strangers. Celebrations of the joy of giving, all week long. Doesn’t that sound magical?

For the uninitiated, you’ve just been introduced to Daan Utsav, India’s Giving Festival. Daan Utsav takes place from October 2nd to 8th. Yes, that’s right around the corner and we are pumped!

What is Daan Utsav?

In 2008, a group of thought leaders in the nonprofit space got together with an idea — a week where the country celebrates giving. They decided to organize a few events that encouraged people to simply give.

Riverside School in Gujarat came up with a ‘Design for Change’ contest. Goonj, an NGO based in Delhi, launched the ‘Vastrasamman Campaign’. Toofles, a fundraising platform, organised a ‘Style for Smiles CEO Ramp Walk’. In Chennai, a Battle of the Buffet was run.

The success of the idea pushed them to keep it going. Every year, new groups kept joining and diversifying the spectrum of giving. Schools, corporates, nonprofits, communities, celebrities, CEOs, rickshaw drivers, homemakers, children — absolutely everyone began to discover the joy of giving!

Celebrate the joy of giving

Over the past 10 years, Daan Utsav has grown to become a massive celebration. In 2017, over 6 million people found ways that they could give during the festival. That’s the thing about giving, it’s simple and the joy is long lasting!

If you are looking for ways to join the celebrations, check out Daan Utsav volunteer groups in your city or start an initiative yourself. You can choose to volunteer your time, use your skills or donate.  

You can also join our Hafta Challenge. We will give you 7 prompts delivered to your inbox every day from October 2nd to 8th to celebrate. Each task is designed to deeply connect you to the spirit of giving. All you need to do is look around, there are a million ways to give around us!

Aadeep