meals to underprivileged students
in his college. When he lost his
mother at the relatively young age
of 51—Prabhu was 21—he made a
promise to himself—he would give to
the needy whatever he inherited
from his mother and in 2011, he
started the Ethel Prabhu Foundation
in her honour.
Prabhu did volunteer work after
graduation, which made a lasting
impact on him. “I came across several
people who had done so much for
others with no expectations.” As he
took on various roles in his career,
he continued to contemplate on the
various means of wealth creation and
sharing. This is when he came across
#LivingMyPromise, and decided to
take the plunge. Talking about why
he pledged to donate half his earnings
after he was gone, he says it was
simple: “I knew I would earn enough
and more for all my needs and also
have a surplus that I can use to make
lives of certain people better.”
His family is completely on board
with this. “I built assets with the
intention of giving them away in the
future. It’s a personal choice. And
my family respects that. The assets I
have purchased with my wife will be
disposed of by her in my absence in
any way she wishes,” he adds. He has
also pledged to donate his body for
medical research.
Despite his many years in the PR
world, Prabhu seems uncomfort-
able talking about his charity work. “I
do not hesitate to respond though,
hoping it will inspire more people to
give. Charity is not about managing
one’s reputation. It is about behaving
with a conscience,” he says.
Prabhu has a suggestion for all
those on the cusp of charity. “I wish
everyone could make an effort to keep
10 per cent of their income for a wor-
thy cause in their lifetime, and maybe,
100 per cent of all that they inherited
for the needy afterwards.”
—by v. kumaraswamyThe Power of Giving“I don’t want to blame governments.
I just feel we all need to adopt a value
system and focus on giving,”
says Amith Prabhu.readersdigest.co.in 61