New Delhi: Author-philanthropist Rohini Nilekani donated Rs 170 crore so far in 2023 and is the only woman to have made it to the top ten of Hurun's top Philanthropist List 2023. With a donation of Rs 189 crore, her husband Nandan Nilekani, who co-founded Infosys, is also on the list. While Ms Nilekani was on the 10th spot, Mr Nilekani was 8th on the list topped by HCL co-founder Shiv Nadar.
Speaking of their contributions to society, Hurun India said that the donations of the Nilekanis reflected their deep commitment to philanthropy.
"The Nilekanis have signed the ‘Giving Pledge', which commits half their wealth to philanthropic causes. They elevated their philanthropic contributions by an additional Rs 80 crore, reaching a cumulative donation of Rs 360 crore," it said.
Rohini Nilekani is founder of Arghyam Foundation
Born in 1960, Rohini Nilekani is the founder of the Arghyam Foundation, which works on water and sanitation issues. She is also the chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies.
Ms Nilekani acquired a degree in French Literature from Elphinstone College and worked as a reporter at the Bombay Magazine in 1980 and then for Sunday magazine in Bangalore.
Ms Nilekani grew up in a middle-class family where her father was an engineer and her mother a homemaker.
Rohini Nilekani, Nandan Nilekani met in 1977
Rohini and Nandan Nilekani met at a quiz competition in 1977. They got married shortly after they founded Infosys in 1981 with six other software engineers.
Mr and Ms Nilekani are parents to two children, Janhavi and Nihar.
Ms Nilekani has also co-founded nonprofit educational platforms EkStep and Pratham Books, which publishes books for children.
In September 2022, she said that the time was ripe for civil societies to be boosted, adding that India's wealth creators needed to do more about it.
The Nilekanis have signed the Giving Pledge, a charitable campaign founded by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, to encourage wealthy people to contribute a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.
Ms Nilekani wished more wealthy people in India signed the Giving Pledge, arguing it's just a public commitment to give away 50% of your wealth, which is "not even much considering how much people have now".
"With the kind of wealth that the richest 2,000 people have in India, families can last seven or eight generations comfortably. So there really should not be any insecurity or fear left, and I wish more would sign the pledge," she said back in 2022.
To draw home her point, she said the role of empathy was also important when tackling issues that may not currently affect people because of their privilege. It is a moral and strategic imperative to see how connected we all are, she added.