The iconic musician Sting made headlines this week when he announced that the majority of his £180 million fortune would not be going to his six children. The former Police frontman has six children, but is still pledging most of his wealth to charitable causes. “People make assumptions that they’ve been born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but that isn’t true,” Sting was quoted as saying. “Obviously, if they were in trouble I would help them, but I’ve never really had to do that. They have the work ethic that makes them want to succeed on their own merit.”
Sting isn’t the only high profile celebrity to have pledged his wealth away from his children and towards more philanthropic causes. Warren Buffet has donated his wealth, amounting to over $65 billion to charity, inspiring Bill and Melinda Gates to do the same. Simon Cowell and Nigella Lawson too have said that they will not be leaving the bulk of their money to their children, while George Lucas has promised a chunk of his fortune to organisations that work in the realm of education.
Superstar Jackie Chan, who is also leaving his fortune to charity instead of his son Jaycee, has put it the most succinctly: “If he is capable, he can make his own money. If he is not, then he will just be wasting my money.”
Closer home, Azim Premji and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw are among the wealthy Indians who’ve pledged a major portion of their income towards philanthropic causes. Their gesture is especially notable in a society that places so much importance on the idea of inheritance. “There comes a point where the wealthy come to believe that all wealth is futile. They go into the self-actualisation phase where they want to do good for society. They want their children to earn their own money and realise their worth. Of course, this is an extremely positive step for everybody involved,” says noted psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty, explaining how individuals make such seemingly tough decisions.
Theatre personality Divya Palat works with several NGOs for a platform called YouTheatre, that uses dance, theatre and film to empower underprivileged children. The funds for this programme come in from many corporate honchos. “It’s not just about donating funds for them, they want to ensure that society benefits from it,” she says.
India, Divya says, is a giving country — just that there isn’t enough knowledge about how to give. “I think what these personalities (like Sting) are doing, is wonderful. They’re self-made and also giving their children some merit that they will be able to strike it out on their own,” she adds.
Popular television actor Nakuul Mehta also feels that there are several examples of “giving” that you come across among Indian public personalities. “I feel that Ratan Tata handing over the reins of his empire to a successor he deemed capable (rather than someone who shared his surname) is an example of this, as is Narayan Murthy accepting only '1 as director’s fee from Infosys,” Nakuul says. “Actions like these inspire others to follow suit and this is only way humanity can flourish.”
