The relationship that one develops with philanthropy is not on a whim or something out of a short-term goal that one feels one should reach. It is a way of life and thought.
Over the years, I have met several people who are involved in giving back. Some have hearts that are purely directed towards a responsibility they feel towards improving the have-nots. It is a feeling that comes from feeling inadequate within oneself to see how the less privileged live their meagre lives. Some people give back to feel good about themselves. It has a huge feel-good factor attached to it that makes one feel that you are on the right path to achieving a sense of self-satisfaction. Some people have vested agendas whereby they want to be projected as philanthropists to improve their own image.
“When you give, you do it with no expectation whatsoever that may benefit you. In fact, the thought should not come into your mind,” says Mana Shetty. Mana works hard every day for her school Save the Children, which she inherited from her mother Vipula Kadri. “The relationship with the feeling of being a philanthropist does not start suddenly; it is a slow process and becomes part of your being,” she adds.
As children Mana and her sister Isha would go to an NGO where her mother was involved. They learnt about sharing their birthday gifts and playing together with children who did not have what the two sisters had. “Realisation of helping and sharing came in at a very young age, and my relationship with philanthropy started within me automatically as a part of my growing. And at that time I realised that this can never be about oneself,” she continues.
“My mother has always been a great influence in my life from early days. We were always reminded of how highly privileged we are and how we should reach out to others,” she adds. Mana understands that she is also setting the same example to her children Atiya and Aahan and she is grateful that they have already begun their relationship with giving back.
Mana inherited this legacy from her mother and feels a deep sense of responsibility to what her mother set up but inadvertently has gained in leaps and bounds. “Today it defines who I am. My life would never be the same without Save the Children India. I have got and learnt so much and I feel complete and blessed.”
At ‘Aarish’ — an exhibition Mana and Sharmilla Khanna do together for Save the Children — I looked around feeling proud of her continuing relentless work, knowing her mother would be so proud of her. A seed she sowed in her daughter as a child, is blossoming.
Suniel Shetty, her husband, and her children are always there to support her. “Suniel in fact was involved with mom’s work even before me and she loved him for all his support and commitment. He was her son and not son-in-law,” she says emotionally.
STCI is thriving and Mana is working on projects that are truly effective and reach out to the maximum beneficiaries in the most qualitative way. “We want to continue affecting as many lives as possible.” She is happy today that more and more people and corporates are involved with charity work.
“These experiences have put me in a beautiful space and I feel calm and happy. I feel I am in a position to send a positive message to the universe... give without expectation,” says Mana, who believes in positivity, moving ahead and never looking back.

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