Two weeks back, my Nico and I were dining at a Syrian restaurant in London. When the bill came, he being American wanted to tip 10%. For me, however, tipping was always a bit of an elite game - an act of charity for people who weren't as well of. Coming from India, I have probably been exposed to far more of those who would be called 'Bottom of the Pyramid.' I argued, therefore, that I couldn't tip waiters in London while I know there are people in much worse conditions in India who could probably make much better use of that money. Nico, unfortunately, isn't one to give in so easily. He refused to see the link between the money I saved by not tipping and the money I would give other 'more needy' people. My 'trickle - down' arguments failed to cut much ice either.
After over an hour of arguing over this, Nico proposed a solution - he would pay the entire tip whenever we ate out, and I would have to contribute 50% of that amount to charity at the end of his stay in London. So, from Oxford to Copenhagen, we kept the 'tip tracker' ticking, and by the end of it I owed £14.5 to those in need. Over the last one month of working at an Impact Investing fund, I came across several Kiva - like models, and decided that I was most comfortable and content lending to such a place. So, I decided to contribute a small sum to a group on the website Milaap. The amount will help fund a loan for a group of women in Aizawl, Mizoram, who are seeking to expand their business.
This experiment has forced me to think more actively about transitioning from the world of thoughts and ideas to the world of action. I see three types of giving back to society - money, time and intellect. Money has ranked lowest in my priority because I have always doubted its efficacy at low scale. But then, its a great starting point, and a good way to put your money where your heart (or mouth) is. It's been a great half - year of learning and thinking about social change. Here's hoping I'd be able to do more as the year progresses.
