When Mr Vijay Eswaran established RYTHM Foundation as the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the QI Group of Companies, it was his first step towards achieving his lifelong dream of touching a million lives around the world through simple acts of kindness and love. With Mr Eswaran at the helm, RYTHM Foundation has driven various initiatives globally in the areas of education, disaster relief, children and community development.
Mr Eswaran’s deep and personal involvement in philanthropy through the Foundation’s worldwide activities recently gained him international recognition, when he was featured in Forbes Asia’s annual list of 48 Heroes of Philanthropy.
The list, which comprises four philanthropists from each of the 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, honours some of the biggest business tycoons and billionaires who have donated millions of dollars to society in support of various causes, and also little-known citizens who are extremely generous with their limited funds. Mr Eswaran ranks among the top four Malaysian Philanthropists in the list, alongside Berjaya Group’s Tan Sri Vincent Tan, IJM Corp. Founder Mr Koon Yew Yin and renowned architect Mr Hijjas Kasturi and his wife, Angela.
As explained by Forbes Asia’s Senior Editor Mr John Koppisch, the magazines goal is not to rank the biggest givers by dollar amounts or percentage of assets, as those figures would be impossible to collect. Instead, he said, “Our aim is to call attention to a mix of notable people and causes throughout the region and to encourage more giving.”
Mr Eswaran attributes his generous ways to his upbringing, as he grew up with philanthropy being a very important way of life. “My parents have instilled in me the value of being in service to others from a young age. And one of my icons is Mahatma Gandhi whose teachings form the basis of RYTHM – Raise Yourself To Help Mankind, which led to the inception of the RYTHM Foundation.” ”
The Foundation was conceived not to primarily be a donor or a charity, but instead to be a catalyst to innovate, inspire and implement new synergies that would allow people to stand on their own feet as opposed to looking for aid. Which is why we focus on the time and effort we are able to give people in need, as opposed to the size of the cheque. This honour is ultimately a recognition of 13 years of being in RYTHM,” he said.
While this achievement celebrates every successful initiative ever carried out by RYTHM Foundation, it also serves as an inspiration for us to continue expanding our efforts to all corners of the world.
We extend our warmest congratulations to Mr Vijay Eswaran on this well-deserved accolade and we are thankful to him for living life in the spirit of RYTHM every single day, as it gives invaluable meaning and purpose to our existence as a Foundation.
