Nila Tanzil’s latest book, The Art of Giving Back, celebrates the joys that come with giving to others.

A former self-described “corporate worker”, Nila Tanzil has made a name for herself through her various humanitarian activities, including setting up Taman Bacaan Pelangi (Rainbow Reading Park). The reading park distributes books to children in eastern Indonesia and has provided training to more than 1,000 tutors throughout the country.

Nila’s previous book, Lembar-Lembar Pelangi (Rainbow Pages), focused on her experiences with Taman Bacaan Pelangi.

With her new book, she hopes to offer a glimpse into the satisfaction she felt when she began to dedicate her life to helping others.

Inspired by the works of Ajahn Bram and Gobind Vashdev, Nila said she wanted to encourage readers to understand how “giving” can be a “lifestyle” that is “contagious, addictive and powerful”.

Nila’s latest book focuses on how her personal experiences shaped her perspective on the emotional benefits of helping others.

“One act of giving can inspire a thousand acts of giving. Imagine a world where everyone is generous and helps one another, wouldn’t it be wonderful? I think when ‘giving’ becomes a lifestyle, the world will be a much better place to live,” Nila said.

Personal story: In the process of giving, Nila said she has learned a lot of different ideas from the people and cultures she would not have otherwise met. (Courtesy of Nila Tanzil)

The idea of the book, she said, was to show how giving extended far beyond financial assistance, which is what most people think “giving” to a social cause means. The stories are meant to enlighten those who feel they have nothing to give so they understand that everyone does.

“Giving back can come in many forms. People can give back by volunteering for a social cause, by using their talents to help non-profit organizations whose missions are close to their hearts,” Nila said. “For example, if you’re good at graphic design, you can help an NGO design their materials, and so forth.”

Nila’s writing is straightforward and geared toward young adult readers, or millennials, who she believes are at a fork in the road on their path through life. They are at an age where there is much to give, she said.

“I also want to make people think that yes, giving a one-off donation is good, but we can actually make a bigger impact if we think through our ‘act of giving’. So, inspiring people to give back in a sustainable way, which will have a bigger impact on society.”

An avid traveler, Nila said that in the process of giving, she has learned a lot of different ideas from the people and cultures she would not have otherwise met.

“One of the reasons I love traveling is because I learn so much from the people I meet during my travels. I enjoy having conversations with the local people everywhere I go. From them, I learn many things, from how they see life, to their values and their lifestyles,” she said.

In the book, Nila shares a significant travel experience she had in Myanmar where she spent a few days at a monastery with Buddhist monks. The experience was central to her process of learning about giving.

Here we are: In her new book, Nila Tanzil (center) shares her personal experiences that have shaped her perspective on the emotional benefits of helping others. (Courtesy of Nila Tanzil)

“No matter your financial situation, you can still give back to others. No matter how busy you are at work, you can still give back to the local community. There’s no excuse not to do it, basically.”

Nila also wrote about her experiences in Sri Lanka where she lived with a family of modest means who treated her with a generous amount of kindness, “even though they lived in a house with a dirt floor and no electricity”.

“Experiences like this have played a big role in how I view life and they have enriched my soul. The people I have met during my solo travels have given me so much wisdom and it means the world to me.”

Nila said the process of writing was a smooth one. While her first book took three years to write, The Art of Giving Back was finished in a year. It wasn’t without small challenges, however.

“This year, I traveled so much for work, conferences and fellowships overseas. So, managing my time was quite challenging. I’m lucky to have an editor who was always chasing me to finish each chapter! That was very helpful,” she laughed.

Nila said she hoped the book, published by Benteng Press, effectively conveys the experiences she has had that have shaped her perspective on giving.

“All I can say is no matter how little we give to others, it already makes a difference. We might think what we give is small, but that could mean the world to the people who receive it. We’ll never know.” (ste)