Rockefeller - the greatest philantropist of all time !!

We hear of lot of rich people in society who acquire wealth, legally , illegally, inherit from their parents, some make it fair with innovation  and so on. This article is on two individuals, one  a small fry and another a great individual..

I wish to mention of a spoilt brat from Bangalore, whose father used all dubious means including liquor to make money and who now isfacing a tough time protecting all the ill-gotten wealth.

Burdened by his lavish, glamorous lifestyle, the small time richie-rich from Bangalore, Vijay Mallya is about to sell his UB (United Breweries) Towers in the heart of the city.

His father Vithal Mallya, by manufacturing and selling liquor had made money and had grabbed prime property in different parts of the city. Quite natural, human weakness..

Now the law of nature has to catch up.. ie. the first generation innovates and makes wealth, the second generation just maintains and partly throws it off ( happening to Vijay) and the third generation squanders it and goes back to square one.

An exception is John D. Rockefeller (1839 to 1937), a teetotaller and firm believer in God ....   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller

Quote from wikipedia :
Rockefeller spent the last 40 years of his life in retirement. His fortune was mainly used to create the modern systematic approach of targeted philanthropy with foundations that had a major effect on medicine, education, and scientific research.

His foundations pioneered the development of medical research, and were instrumental in the eradication of hookworm and yellow fever. He is also the founder of both the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University. : unquote ..

Rockefeller made his first billion dollars in 1910, hundred years back (when there was no proper communications, transportation system, computers, Internet and comfort and convenience of today ..) and considering inflation, he is considered to be the richest person in history. ( at 2007 value his wealth is estimated to be $ 700 billion, he can buy Bill Gates and Buffet six times over..) Almost all his wealth he returned back to society. From age 58 to 98 he continued his targeted philanthropy ..

He supported India with the PL-470 programme in the late 60s and early 70s by giving free wheat, milk powder to Asia and Africa when we were faced with great famine and hunger.

A 1934 New York Times article on Rockefeller's philanthropy ..

The history of John D Rockefeller ..

The wikipedia link on John D Rockefeller .

In our society and in Kerala too, we see abkari, liquor salesmen, cashew merchants, real estate builder mafia, PWD Engineer-contractor nexus, coal mafia flaunting their newly acquired affluence, Nouveau_riche .. Law of nature has to catch up with them like it is to Vijay Mallya now..

ge..