Donate Anything to a Kanwar Shivir: Money, Food, or Your Time

Here is the simplest, most honest answer to the question people ask us most: yes — anyone can donate anything to a Kanwar shivir, in whatever way they wish. There is no minimum amount and no fixed way to give. You can walk into our free sewa shivir on NH-8 at Mahipalpur and set down a sack of atta, a crate of fruit, a bundle of mats, or a case of water bottles. You can pick up a ladle and serve langar for a few hours as a sewadar. Or you can donate from anywhere in the world by UPI or bank transfer without ever leaving home. Any amount, any item, any time — every single contribution becomes real seva for a tired kanwariya walking home to Mahadev.

Our Shiv Kavar Samiti has run this free shivir for over thirty years, through the busiest stretch of the Kanwar Yatra, serving thousands of Shiv bhakts round the clock during Sawan. Everything offered here — hot langar, shelter, clean water, first aid — is given free to the kanwariyas. It is kept running entirely by ordinary people who give what they can: some give money, some give goods, some give their hands and their hours. This guide is written to remove every hesitation you might have about how to help the kanwariyas, so you can give in the way that suits you best.

Anyone can give — there is no minimum, no fixed way

Please do not talk yourself out of giving because you think your gift is too small or the 'wrong' kind. In seva, there is no such thing. A student who sends ₹51 by UPI, a shopkeeper who drops off a carton of biscuits, a family that sponsors a whole day of langar, a neighbour who spends an evening washing steel plates — all of them are doing exactly the same thing: putting comfort into the hands of a bhakt. Bhole Nath does not weigh the size of the offering; he sees the bhav, the feeling, behind it.

So when you decide to donate to a Kanwar shivir, you are free to choose your own path. Broadly, there are three ways, and you can use any one of them, or all three:

• 🔱Give money — any amount, by UPI in seconds or by bank transfer for a larger or recorded gift.
• 🔱Give goods (in-kind) — ration, fruit, water, tents, mats, ORS, first-aid, or anything the shivir can use.
• 🔱Give time — come as a sewadar and serve with your own hands for a few hours or a few days.

Come in person to the shivir on NH-8, Mahipalpur

The most direct way to help is to come to the shivir yourself. We are on NH-8 at Mahipalpur, New Delhi, right on the route the kanwariyas walk, and during Sawan the shivir is open day and night. You are welcome to visit, see the seva with your own eyes, and bring whatever you like to contribute. When you hand something over at the shivir, it often reaches a bhakt within the same hour — there is no gap between your gift and the good it does.

Do not worry about bringing the 'right' thing. If you are passing by and wish to help, bring whatever is easy for you. Some of the most useful items that arrive in person are simple, everyday things:

• 🔱Ration for the langar kitchen: atta, rice, dal, cooking oil, sugar, tea leaves, salt and spices.
• 🔱Refreshment: sealed water bottles, fruit, glucose, ORS packets and buttermilk.
• 🔱Shelter and rest: tents, tarpaulins, mats, durries and light blankets.
• 🔱Medical care: first-aid kits, antiseptic, bandages, pain-relief spray and foot-care ointment.
• 🔱Kanwar stands and simple wooden supports so the sacred kanwar never touches the ground.

If you would rather give your time than any thing at all, that is one of the most valued gifts of all. Come as a sewadar and we will put you to work wherever the need is greatest that hour — rolling rotis, serving in the langar line, filling water, handing out fruit, helping a bhakt to a resting mat, or simply keeping the shivir clean. A few hours of your time feeds and rests dozens of kanwariyas.

Or donate online from anywhere — UPI or bank

If you cannot come to Mahipalpur, distance is no barrier to your seva. You can donate online from anywhere in India, or from abroad, and your gift will be used at the shivir the same night. The fastest way is UPI: pay in seconds from Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM or your bank's own app.

• 🔱UPI ID: 9818908237@ptyes — enter this as the payee in any UPI app, and give any amount you wish.
• 🔱Or scan the QR code shown on our Donate page and pay directly.
• 🔱For a larger or recorded gift, transfer by NEFT, IMPS or RTGS to the samiti's Punjab National Bank account — the exact account number, IFSC and account name are on the Donate page.
• 🔱Add a short note like "Kanwar Seva" in the remarks so we can recognise and thank you.

Bank transfer is well suited to families, shops and businesses who want to sponsor a full day of langar or a large share of the shivir's supplies. And if you run a wholesale or retail business, remember that in-kind giving from your own stock is just as welcome — a message to us first, and we will tell you exactly what is needed and where to send it.

What different gifts actually achieve

People often want to picture what their gift does. There is no fixed price on seva, and every contribution helps, but here is an honest, simple guide to what different kinds of giving can achieve during Sawan at the shivir:

• 🔱A modest UPI gift or a bag of fruit — a warm, satisfying meal for several tired bhakts.
• 🔱A sack of atta, dal and oil, or a day's sponsorship — a full day of langar, feeding a steady stream of kanwariyas through day and night.
• 🔱Tents, mats and tarpaulins — dry, shaded shelter where footsore bhakts can lie down and rest.
• 🔱A first-aid kit, ORS and foot-care ointment — medical relief for blisters, cramps and exhaustion on the road.
• 🔱A few hours of your time as a sewadar — hands that serve, feed and care for the bhakts directly.

Notice that money and goods and time all end in the same place: a kanwariya who is fed, rested, healed or simply made to feel cared for. That is why we say there is no wrong way to give. Choose whatever is easiest for you, and trust that it will be used well.

The punya of daan and annadaan

Our tradition holds daan — selfless giving — as one of the highest acts a person can perform, and annadaan, the giving of food, as the greatest daan of all. To feed a hungry person asks for nothing in return and expects no reward; it is giving in its purest form. During Sawan, when the kanwariya carries Ganga jal for Lord Shiva on his own shoulder, to feed and shelter that bhakt is to serve Bhole Nath himself. There are few times in the year when giving carries such weight, because the gift is used at once, in front of you, for someone who has truly walked a hard road for his faith.

Serve every bhakt as you would serve Bhole Nath himself — for in that month, they carry him on their shoulders.— A sewadar's reminder at the shivir

This is the quiet gift the kanwariya gives back to you. You may not walk the yatra, but by feeding one who does, by sheltering him, by handing him water on a hot afternoon, you share in his devotion. The punya of that seva belongs to you as surely as if you had carried the kanwar yourself.

Run by volunteers — every gift reaches the bhakts

The shivir is run entirely by volunteers from our family and community. No one draws a salary from what you give. Whether you send money, drop off goods, or serve with your own hands, your contribution goes fully into the seva itself — the food, the shelter, the water and the medicine that a kanwariya uses on the road. Nothing is lost along the way. When you donate, you are simply putting a meal or a resting place directly into the hands of a bhakt.

Because it is a volunteer effort built on trust, we take that trust seriously. We are always glad to tell a donor exactly how their contribution was used, and we warmly welcome you to visit the shivir at Mahipalpur during Sawan to watch the seva happen with your own eyes.

How to confirm your contribution

After you give — whether in person, in kind, or online — please send us a short message on WhatsApp so we can confirm we received it and thank you personally. A quick message with your name, what you gave, and the date is all we need.

• 🔱WhatsApp: +91 98189 08237 — send your name, the amount or item, and the date of your gift.
• 🔱For UPI, a screenshot of the successful payment helps us match it quickly.
• 🔱For in-kind gifts or to volunteer, message us first so we can confirm what is needed and when to come.

A note on 80G tax exemption: donors sometimes ask whether their gift is eligible for a deduction under Section 80G. Please confirm the samiti's current 80G status directly with us before you give, rather than assuming it — we would rather be honest than promise something we cannot be sure of at the moment you donate. Message us on the same WhatsApp number and we will tell you plainly where things stand.

Give in your own way, this Sawan

Whether you send ₹51 by UPI, carry a sack of atta to the shivir, drop off a case of water bottles on your way past NH-8, or spend an evening serving langar with your own hands, your contribution becomes real service to a kanwariya the same night. There is no minimum, no fixed way, and no gift too small. Every rupee, every item, every hour is welcome, and all of it becomes seva for a bhakt carrying Ganga jal home to Mahadev.

To give now — in person, in kind, by UPI or by bank transfer — please visit our Donate page at /donate, where you will find the QR code, the Punjab National Bank details, and everything you need to help the kanwariyas in a moment. Har Har Mahadev.