A lady once decided to empty out her refrigerator. She gave her odd-jobs man around ten bars of chocolate that she wouldn’t be eating. He was gratified. He knew he wouldn’t ever be able to afford chocolates worth more than three thousand rupees at one go.

When he went home and opened the packet the sweetness turned sour. Almost all of them had outlived their expiry date by at least six months. He was upset and being self-respecting he politely told her that next time she gave away anything to anyone she would do well to check its condition. Just one small chocolate given with love would have won her his respect. She hadn’t been generous, she had been patronizing.

It could well have been an oversight but there was another lady I knew personally, who had the habit of giving away stale and even musty food stuff to others; until once someone returned it to her saying it wasn’t fit for the poorest. Didn’t she think twice before doing this? Could she have been unaware that she was letting the mustiness coat her otherwise commendable nature?

Are these exceptions? I doubt so. There are many like them, who try to pass on their guilt of wastage onto others: Let that person throw out food, I can’t! I ask them “why do you buy and hoard more than you need?” Not just food, compulsive hoarders amass things they will not use for years and then hand them down when they are not worth the dustbin they should go into. The poorest of the poor have dignity which must be respected. It is selfish and utterly insensitive to degrade others by being condescending towards them. Such thoughtless acts humiliate the receiver but speak volumes about the giver’s personality. He comes through as way smaller in stature than the person he regards below him.

Apart from such wastage being criminal, it is downright rude and inconsiderate to palm off to another what we don’t find fit for our consumption. Yes, I have given very old bed-sheets to a care-giver who requested them. She needed them to keep her patient and his bed clean and not have to throw away the good bed linen every time it was soiled. I have given away more such stuff because it was needed and I was asked for it. When a specific purpose is served it is okay to pass on throw-away kind of objects.

Giving, I believe is a subtle art, not simply an act of charity; it brings joy all around. It is sharing, no matter who the recipient is. It should be seen as an opportunity to put back into circulation what we take from society and the world at large. If our giving brings happiness to us and another, then even the smallest thing given away becomes a gift that does not demean the other. When we give, it should be with an open and grateful heart, all the time blessing the beneficiaries. The blessings that come back to us will be tenfold!