Dilli partied hard through the weekend, as did rest of the euphoric nation, after Dhoni and his boys lifted the World Cup in Mumbai
Dilli partied hard through the weekend, as did rest of the euphoric nation, after Dhoni and his boys lifted the World Cup in Mumbai. But equally fascinating for fans was the surprise discovery that cricketing hearts beat in 10 Janpath. Dilli was treated to the rare sight of the usually reticent Congress president Sonia Gandhi happily joining revelers in the Delhi streets after the match, and of Rahul Gandhi in the stands at Wankhade cheering lustily at teams.
While netas have always tried to tap the nationalistic pulse that throbs beneath India's cricket obsession, a World Cup victory naturally provided the best platform for politicians and Bollywood celebs to be seen. And so they did, and it was clear that they seemed more in need of a positive affirmation of their image through
Dhoni's boys!
Triggering philanthropyBill Gates and Warren Buffet came visiting recently, looking not just to give away money but also promote their philosophy of giving among our own super rich. But though Dilli was impressed that the philanthropy evangelists will need many new converts to their gospel, in Bangalore, GM Rao, founder of infrastructure giant GMR Group, pledged Rs 1,540 crore towards education for the underprivileged ufffd quite coincidentally when the Buffet-Gates effort was on.
Clearly, India's billionaires have more than just making money on their minds. In recent months, several biggies have gone down the philanthropic route, notably Wipro's Aziz Premji who announced a share transfer worth a staggering Rs 8,800 crore to an educational trust, and another IT czar Shiv Nadar of HCL who donated Rs 580 crore. There are other stories welling up slowly as well, even as Premji has questioned the need for a legislation which will make philanthropy mandatory. It's a debate that is bound to rage in business corridors long after Bill and Warren's visit.u00a0
