Kolkata becomes goodwill hunters' preferred destination

NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: Star cricketer Steve Waugh, Hollywood heartthrob Tom Cruise and writer/social worker Dominique Lapierre have one thing in common – charity. They also have a common destination – Kolkata. Kolkata may be topping the list, but other Indian cities too are joining the fray.
On Monday, Bill Gates will come calling. His itinerary includes a visit to Andhra Pradesh where the Gates foundation has given a grant of $25 million to the children’s vaccine programme.
Why is India the philanthropist’s paradise? According to Rajeev Haldar of Prayas: ‘‘For most, it is a great image building exercise.Some who believe in repaying society prefer India as they can work at the grassroots. Plus, there is no dearth of causes.’’ On October 10, Hollywood actress Melanie Griffith organised a fund-raiser dinner in Los Angeles where the likes of Penelope Cruz and Tom Cruise sold personal belongings for Kolkata’s destitute children.
Kolkata’s Sabera Foundation – a home for street children and orphans named after the girl who was adopted off the streets and taken to Spain by singer Carlos Nacho – has the backing of the Hollywood Spanish fraternity. Girls from Sabera have stayed at the Los Angeles home of Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith and have sometimes gyrated with Ricky Martin.
Dominique Lapierre’s association with Kolkata began after he penned The City of Joy and started a foundation by the same name.
For Rev John Steven’s Udayan, the home for children of leprosy sufferers, Waugh came as a messiah. He has been funding the home and visiting the boys regularly. He has also helped in setting up Nivedita House, the girls wing and is now helping raise funds for Ashray, another home for destitute girls.