In today’s time of rampant cupidity and materialism where altruism is nothing but a forgotten virtue, I was extremely delighted to write about a little ray of hope which might end up saving us from the darkness of consumerism.

All those years growing up in a middle class family what I’ve realised is that the monetary struggle in developing India can be gruelling let alone difficult. But imagine going through that and yet having a heart big enough to give away your hard earned money with the sole purpose of saving and uplifting countless other lives. Heart-warming isn’t it?!Andif that wasn’t enough to stir you, Miss Palak Muchhal started with this noble cause at the age of six!! The age when we can only dream of doing great things and changing the world, this girl with her melodious voice took it upon her to help children with heart diseases get a cure and a future to look up to.

Born and brought up in a Maheshwari Marwari family in Indore, Madhya Pradesh,Palak Muchhal is 22 and well known today for her mesmerising voice in popular Bollywood numbers like Chahun main ya na, Meri Aashiqui (Aashiqui 2), Laapata (Ek Tha Tiger) and many more albums. Her Charity Organisation the “Palak Muchhal Heart Foundation “was found in the early 2000s and by that time she had scored funds worth millions not only for the children but also for the victims of 2001 Gujarat Earthquake and for the soldiers in 1999 Kargil War. By June 2009, she had staged 1,460 charity show worldwide which had raised 1.71 crore rupees (equivalent to 3.6 crore or $660,000 USD in 2013) for her heart foundation.

The best part about her story is that she achieved a lifetime of good deeds and greatness by the time she was sixteen. She deliberately sacrificed her childhood and adolescence in order to make this world a better place. Palak came as a ray of hope to those who were on the verge of falling into the darkness. It is people like her that make this world a better place with each passing day; it is this Philanthropy that can save us from losing all to materialism and greed!