Is it hip to do good?

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Celebrity involvement in charitable causes has never been higher. However, BT finds that it''s more than just a fad for these do-gooders</span><br /><br />Celeb presence in socially relevant projects has increased remarkably. The list is impressive, including the big names from Bollywood (Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Urmila Matondkar), cricket (Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar), fashion (Shaina N C, Satya Paul, Vikram Phadnis) and the swish set (Aarti Surendranath). <br /><br />Has it become fashionable to be associated with such causes or is it just a simple attempt to make a meaningful difference to people''s lives? <br /><br />"You don''t have to be as selfless as Mother Teresa to take up a charitable cause," says former beauty queen and actress Diana Hayden, who has been associated with the cause of breast cancer. <br /><br />For most, it''s about leveraging one''s celebrity status to make a difference. As Bachchan once said, following his appointment as the UNICEF ambassador: "If one has been bestowed with celebrity status, why not use it for a cause?" Vikram Phadnis dismisses any notion that these acts are the ‘in thing''. He says. "I want to help people."<br /><br />However, there are those who believe that these are attempts to get mileage out of such events. "I am not doubting anybody''s intentions but some use charitable causes as a vehicle to promote themselves," notes a socialite. <br /><br />Disagrees Veera Rao of Alert India, an NGO working for leprosy, "They are completely sincere about what they do. One has to understand that they help raise so much money." And as Dr Duru Shah points out, "There has been a re-awakening of sorts among all sections of the society. It is just that celebrities have greater visibility."</div> </div>