The Art Of Giving Back
SOCIETY|August 2017

VVS Laxman and his wife Shailaja have decided to make this world a better place for deserving children in more ways than one

Nandini R Penna
The Art Of Giving Back
To call the former cricketer and currently a cricket commentator, Vangipurapu Venkata Sai Laxman, better known as VVS Laxman, one of the greatest batsman of all time will not be an exaggeration. Though better known for his prowess on the cricket field, after his rather premature retirement, he is now looking beyond sports. This time, he is in the news for his philanthropic pursuits.

“I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out the community and the world. Think globally, act locally, I suppose,” says the champion, continuing, “I believe that the measure of a person’s life is the effect they have on others. I’m just so very lucky to be able to do what I do for a living, and giving back is a way for me to express my gratitude. I’m so lucky to be in a position to help people, and that’s appealing to me.” The VVS Laxman Foundation is his pet project these days. “Since the last two years, my wife Shailaja and I have been trying to help underprivileged kids, but we decided to make it more organised,” says Laxman. That is when the VVS Laxman Foundation came into being. “I feel it’s not just about giving back, or whether you’re successful or a celebrity or even how much money you have, it’s about your responsibility as an adult to help others. It was actually Shailaja’s brainchild,” he adds. The project underwent a lot of trial and error, before the couple came up with a very efficient system to single out the genuinely deserving students. His wife Shailaja adds, “Giving back is something that comes from the heart to me. It’s not that I do it because it’s the right thing: I do it because I want to do it.”

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SOCIETYView all
Ending Is The New Beginning
SOCIETY

Ending Is The New Beginning

Pakistani author Sara Naveed writes on what’s considered a minority genre in her home turf. She discusses her love for writing romances…

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2017
Writing On A Wet Wall
SOCIETY

Writing On A Wet Wall

Sudha Murty Speaks about her avatar as a bestselling children's writer

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2017
Three Friends, One Love!
SOCIETY

Three Friends, One Love!

Find out how love for fashion brought three close friends to start the pret label, LoveGen…

time-read
4 mins  |
May 2017
Summer Diet For Kids
SOCIETY

Summer Diet For Kids

WITH the arrival of the summer months and rising temperature each passing day, it really becomes a daunting task to keep a strict check on children’s health and maintain a proper check of their food intake.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2017
Real Life Heroes
SOCIETY

Real Life Heroes

Raveena Tandon Thadani and Dr Aneel Murarka unveiled the Bharat Prerna Awards magazine amidst much appreciation and applause

time-read
1 min  |
May 2017
Man Of Action
SOCIETY

Man Of Action

Magna Lounge was buzzing with excitement when the irresistibly hunky actor Vidyut Jammwal, dressed in a maroon body hugging t-shirt and black pants, dropped in to unveil the April 2017 issue of Health & Nutrition, the cover of which he had graced.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2017
Ira
SOCIETY

Ira

Theatre has never failed Bollywood in providing a continuous and talented supply of actors who have contributed adequately to make every film a delight. One such actor is Ira Dubey, who was born with theatre in her blood, but is now enjoying her stint in films too.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2017
acting matters
society

acting matters

you may remember her as the wheelchair bound character opposite amitabh bachchan in the film, te3n, but there is more to the versatile padmavati rao than just that role. find out more…

time-read
5 mins  |
october 2016
the leading lady
society

the leading lady

aishwaryaa rajnikanth dhanush has been appointed as the un women’s advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment in india. society catches up with the glamorous lady on the high profile opportunity and her other creative undertakings

time-read
7 mins  |
october 2016
mother t our lord's bride in white sari!
society

mother t our lord's bride in white sari!

even as mother teresa got canonised amidst much fanfare recently, here is an interview the selfless and humble nun gave society in december 1982

time-read
7 mins  |
october 2016