Interview
Interview: What Shall We Do With All This Money?
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s interview with Jayesh A Parekh, from a chapter in his book, What Shall We Do With All This Money? – Inspiring perspectives on Wealth As someone who grew up in a normal, middle-class family, my parents instilled in us values about wealth that prioritised giving rather than […]
Article
Get, Set, NGO: How non-profit sector is going through remarkable change in India
The nonprofit sector is undergoing a remarkable change in India, powered by technology, young professionals and committed funders. “What’s exciting for India is the innovation that’s happening around young entrepreneurs, how they are leveraging technology and how they are building communities that take more ownership,” she says. Rohini Nilekani, founder-chairperson of water and sanitation foundation […]
TV Show
We The People | Corporate Social Responsibility: Should It Be Mandatory?
India, has become the first country to make Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending mandatory through a law. New amendments to the Companies Act have been approved by parliament to make make it impossible for companies to escape CSR. The government also plans to include a specific penal provision in the Companies Act in case of […]
Interview
We need to talk about failure in the social sector: NGOs must fail to succeed
A lot of ink is spilled and awards are bestowed each year celebrating the success of the social sector—and there is much to celebrate. But the truth is, if innovation is essential to the ultimate achievements of the sector, we should spend less time on success, and more time on failure. We lament the inability […]
Report
The National Conversation: Barriers and Enablers to Engage Boys and Men Towards Gender Equality
The objective of this research enquiry is to understand what the barriers and opportunities are to accelerate work with boys and men towards gender equality in India, and to initiate a national conversation towards the same goal. The research was conceived because Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Equal Community Foundation (ECF) identified a lack of publicly […]
Keynote
Address at 10th Anniversary of Akshara Foundation
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s speech on equitable quality education for all children, organised as a part of Akshara’s 10th Anniversary celebrations. Rohini spoke about the breadth and depth available today in the field of education, and pledged for social inclusion, for an equitable dispensation for marginalised and underprivileged children. One […]
Article
Uncommon Ground – Bringing The State Back In
There are just too many millions below the scope of ‘efficient’ markets and beyond the reach of most NGOs. Whenever the family travelled together, while most of us would admire the greenery, my father-in-law would sigh ecstatically over the beauty of the giant pylons striding across the fields. To him, they represented the engineering talent […]
Article
Uncommon Ground – A CULTURE OF ENOUGH
Recently, Arghyam, a foundation I have set up to fund initiatives in water and sanitation, needed to hire for a senior position. We put out an ad on a mainstream jobs site, in addition to using development sector channels. To our great surprise, we were absolutely flooded with enquiries. View PDF
TV Show
Uncommon Ground| Vindi Banga and Suman Sahai on Food & Science and Finding the Right Balance
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s Uncommon Ground, where she brings together titans of industry and leaders of civil society to explore eight themes that are highly relevant for our future development. In this episode, she moderates a discussion on food equity with Dr. Suman Sahai, the convener of the Gene Campaign, and […]
TV Show
Uncommon Ground | Uday Kotak and Vijay Mahajan on Credit for All
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s Uncommon Ground, where she brings together titans of industry and leaders of civil society to explore eight themes that are highly relevant for our future development. In this episode, she moderates a discussion on financial inclusion and credit for all, with Vijay Mahajan, Chairman of the BASIX […]
TV Show
Uncommon Ground | Sunil Mittal and Aruna Roy on Generating Rural Jobs
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s Uncommon Ground, where she brings together titans of industry and leaders of civil society to explore eight themes that are highly relevant for our future development. In this episode, she moderates a discussion on employment with Sunil Mittal, Chairman and group CEO, Bharti Enterprises, and Aruna Roy, […]