Saratoga News
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No toys on Agrawals' birthday lists--just charities
By Shannon Burkey
Brothers Nihar Agrawal, 8, and Nishant Agrawal, 9, are like most other children when it comes to birthdays. They want a party that all their friends can attend, and they want a birthday cake in the theme of their favorite character--such as Harry Potter.
But that's where the similarities between the two brothers and other kids their ages end. While most youngsters can't get enough presents and toys, the Agrawal bothers do something quite different. They ask that people don't give them presents--instead, the boys ask for donations they can give to charity.
Nishant started the tradition when he turned 9 this past March. After hearing about a classmate who raised money for tsunami relief, Nishant decided for his birthday he wanted to do the same.
"We get toys at other times in the year, so on our birthday we don't need more toys," said Nishant, who attends Foothill Elementary School with his brother. "Other people don't have toys or other things that we do."
With the help of his parents, who came up with a few charitable organizations they thought he would like to donate to, Nishant decided on Asha For Education, an organization in India dedicated to change in the country by focusing on education. The boys' parents are both from India, and since they were small, they have visited the country once a year.
"I wanted to give my money to Asha because India is a poorer country than America, and they also help with education, and education is important," Nishant said.
Seeing the disparity between the two countries firsthand is one of the reasons the boys' father, Naren Agrawal, believes the boys want to help those in need.
"I think living here, especially in the Bay Area, it is easy for kids to think they are entitled to having whatever they want," Naren Agrawal said. "So when they travel to India they get to see a different part of the world, and they begin to realize that they have plenty and they can share some of what they have."
On his ninth birthday, Nishant raised $600 in donations from his party guests when he decided to forgo presents. He donated all of the money to Asha.
"I was surprised at how much money I got, and in India $600 is a lot more than it is here," Nishant said.
When Nihar's birthday came around in October, he decided he also wanted to donate money instead of receiving gifts. Nihar was 6 going on 7 at the time and Hurricane Katrina had just recently ravaged the Gulf Coast.
"Hurricane Katrina was a big thing, and it was right around the time of my birthday, so I thought a lot of people would donate," Nihar said.
And donate they did. For his seventh birthday, Nihar raised $1,300 that he sent to the Red Cross to aid the victims of the hurricane.
The following October Nihar's eighth birthday came around, and for the second year in a row he asked for donations instead of gifts.
"I really wanted to do it again, and I already have a lot of toys so I didn't need anymore," Nihar said. "And you should think of poor people before yourself because you probably already have a lot of toys. That's why I asked for donations."
This year, inspired by his grandfather, who volunteers for a New Jersey chapter of Meals on Wheels, he decided to donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Twenty-one of his classmates attended the party that Nihar had at Pump It Up in Sunnyvale, and he raised $680 that all went to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
The $680 Nihar donated can provide more than 1,200 meals, which is enough to feed one child for a year, according to Drew Starbird, a Second Harvest Food Bank board member.
"I think it is cool that Nihar gave up 20 to 25 new toys, and yet a child can eat for a whole year for something that he is not even going to miss," said the boys' mother, Niti Agrawal.
The spirit of giving hasn't stopped with donations on their birthdays. Both boys are active in the Dolphin Doers, an organization at their elementary school that does volunteer work.
"In the Dolphin Doers, what you do is help around the community," said Nihar.
Both boys said asking for donations instead of gifts makes them feel good, and neither feels they are missing out on anything. They both plan on continuing the gift of giving on their next birthdays, and they hope they can inspire other children to do the same.
"I will do it again next year," said Nihar. "I haven't thought about who I want to donate to, but I have a long way to go until my next birthday. I have some time to think about it."
