Shahrukh Khan - Philanthropy

Philanthropy

Khan is known for keeping a low profile and secrecy on his social commitments and Humanitarian work. In an interview with The Guardian he stated that his reason for keeping his charity work guarded was because of his religious beliefs. He said: "Somewhere in the Quran it says that if you do charity for a reason, it's not charity." He further expressed his ideology regarding charity work in an interview with CNN-IBN, stating:"I don’t like talking about it . A lot of people and my friends always tell me I should do photographs and stuff when I meet some people. But I don’t believe in it. It is a true thing that if I believe in a cause, I should do it silently and not use my persona as an actor to advocate that."

Apart from regular donations to organisations and individuals, especially in the case of AIDS and cancer patients, he is behind the creation of a children's ward at the Nanavati hospital in Mumbai, in memory of his late mother. Khan is also active with relief funds when the Indian nation faces a natural calamity. Khan has been brand ambassador of various governmental campaigns throughout the years, notably those of Pulse Polio immunisation campaign which was established in 1995 to eradicate poliomyelitis in India by vaccinating all children under the age of five years against the polio virus, the National AIDS Control Organisation. Khan is a member of the board of directors of Make-A-Wish Foundation in India.

In March 2004, Khan visited the border post at the Attari-Wagah section of the Indo-Pak border, near Amritsar (the only place where people can cross over to the other side) to boost the morale of the jawans. It was for a TV show called Jai Jawan where entertainers and stars visit Indian troops in far-flung regions to encourage them along with the NDTV team. In February 2005, Khan performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake in company with other Bollywood stars and also donated 2.5 million for the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Tsunami Relief Fund for the tsunami-affected areas in India. He organised and participated in the Temptations 2005 show in New Delhi which helped to raise funds for the National Centre For Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a leading disabled rights group. The same year, Khan joined hands with India's Health Ministry and UNICEF for a nationwide child immunisation campaign as part of National Rural Health Mission of India. The mission which was called by economists as "the most ambitious rural health initiative ever" aimed to provide accessible, affordable and reliable health care service to the people of India residing in villages. Since then he has recorded a series of public service announcements championing good health, child immunisation and proper nutrition.

In 2007, he collaborated with veteran artist M.F. Husain to create a canvas in celebration of 60 years of Indian independence at a charity auction in Bonhams, London. The painting was sold for over 12 million. In 2008, Khan took part in The Rock On For Humanity concert along with other Bollywood stars. The concert raised over 30 million for helping the children affected by the Bihar floods. During his 2009 appearance at the NDTV Greenathon, Khan adopted five villages in Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara, to provide them with electricity under the solar energy harnessing project in its title initiative 'Light A Billion Lives'. The following year, he adopted eight more villages, and again adopted eleven during his appearance in the third edition of the event. In the 2012 edition of the initiative, he again adopted twelve villages. In 2009, Khan committed to bear all the expenses for the treatment of two Kashmiri orphan children who suffered severe burns during a terrorist grenade attack in Srinagar. He also visited the two orphans at the hospital.

In 2009, during his conferment ceremony of an honorary doctorate by the British Bedfordshire University, Khan pledged his dedication to further the cause of child education in India. He said: "It is a very very special honour. And it makes me to take seriously about what I do and what I have done in the past 20 years of my career. The feeling I get is that I should utilise this recognition to further the cause of those under-privileged children who do not get the opportunity to educate themselves.” In 2011, Khan teamed up with Amitabh Bachchan and English actress Judi Dench to promote Resul Pookutty's foundation that works to better the living conditions of the underprivileged in India. The campaign aims to spread awareness on the cause of education among the impoverished, in India and also discourages child labour in the low income bracket of society and focus on providing opportunities to let children have a proper childhood. the same year, he was honoured with the UNESCO's Pyramide con Marni award for his charity engagements and social commitment towards providing education for kids thus becoming the first Indian to win the accolade. Later that year, Khan was appointed by The UNOPS to be the first global ambassador of The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council that works to improve the lives of poor people by enhancing collaboration among sector agencies and professionals around sanitation and water supply. During Ra.One's premiere in Dubai in October 2011, Khan along with co-stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal held a high-profile dinner and charity auction, which raised AED 30,000 (approximately US$8,200) for building a workshop for children with special needs. In 2012, Khan joined hands with Cosmopolitan Magazine along with follow actors Shahid Kapoor and Ajay Dvgan for supporting their "Real Men Don't Hit Women" Campaign which takes an important stance against the issue of domestic violence. He was also featured in a photo shoot spread for the magazine as part of the campaign.