Article
Rohini Nilekani is Changing Philanthropy
Of India’s many prominent business couples, few can match the Nilekanis in their uniqueness. Nandan Nilekani is now a business legend, for his role in building Infosys (with N R Narayana Murthy and his co-founders) and for rescuing it a few years ago when he came back to set the company right. But unlike most […]
Podcast
To fail is to have dared | IDR Failure Files
Philanthropist, author, and former journalist Rohini Nilekani speaks to India Development Review (IDR) co-founder and CEO, Smarinita Shetty, on why failure needs to be underwritten in the social sector, and how philanthropists must develop more patience and create a space that normalises failure in the context of nonprofit work. You can listen to the full […]
Panel
Charcha 2021 Plenary: Samaaj, Sarkaar and Bazaar for India’s Development
This is an edited version of the Charcha 2021 plenary session focusing on the role of the three pillars – government, business and civil society – in enabling India’s development. The participants discuss the major challenges faced by each sector, the key points of intersection, and how the collaboration between Samaaj, Sarkaar, and Bazaar can […]
Article
Taking Risks in the Face of a Pandemic
2020 has been a sobering year for the philanthropy sector, not just in India, but globally. We have witnessed rising inequality even in these past 6 months, with a few of the rich getting even richer while hundreds of millions of people fell behind in the ensuing economic slowdown. There are some who had just […]
Panel
Closing Address | Beyond #Charcha2020: India’s Priorities
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s conversation with Ashish Dhawan and Sanjay Pugalia about the next steps for India’s resurgence from the current crisis. The session was part of #Charcha2020, which brought together 100+ hours of insights and knowledge shared across events by leading businessmen, policymakers, academicians, philanthropists, community leaders, and changemakers. [A […]
Keynote
Samaaj and Bazaar: Congruence over Divergence
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s keynote talk on Samaaj and Bazaar: Congruence over Divergence at Dasra Philanthropy Week 2019 in Mumbai. We often set up Civil Society (Samaaj) and Markets (Bazaar) as opposing binaries. In this talk, Rohini proposes that they have more in common and more to gain, collectively, in collaborating […]
Interview
Are we suffering from a lack of imagination?
The pace at which social problems are outpacing our solutions underscores the need for bold philanthropy, audacious goals and capable, committed leadership in social sector organisations, says Rohini Nilekani, founder-chairperson of Arghyam and co-founder of EkStep. How do you think Indian philanthropy has evolved over the years? How have the approaches and discussions around […]
Panel
Strengthening Philanthropic Giving & Impact Investing for Development of India
This is an edited version of a panel discussion on Strategic Philanthropic Giving & Impact Investing in India, with Rohini Nilekani, Moutushi Sengupta, Vineet Rai, Deval Sanghavi, and Seema Chowdhry at DPW 2016: Philanthropy Day. Within the social sector, many people have been working towards bringing traditional philanthropy and impact investment together. There are certain […]
Article
Constructive Dialogues
The social responsibility of A business is to increase its profits,” wrote Friedman in the New York Times magazine in 1970. While there’d be fewer takers of his doctrine in the present day corporate world, the subject is still not a comfortable one to debate. And that’s precisely why Nilekani’s Uncommon Ground makes for a […]
Article
NEW VISION – Uncommon Ground
Uncommon Ground brings together titans of industry and leaders of civil society to explore eight themes that are highly relevant for our future development. Based on RohiniNilekani’s 2008 television show. the conversations explore the middle ground between the ideological divisions that often polarize the business and voluntary sectors. View PDF
Keynote
Emerging Challenges for Civil Society in India
A keynote speech delivered at the 25th Anniversary of Rotary club in 2008 The Indian third sector – as the non-profit sector is sometimes called, is one of the largest and certainly the most diverse in the world. There are civil society organizations in virtually every area of human endeavour, including community bee-keeping! As for […]
Article
From darkness unto light – Akshara foundation has initiated 20,000 slum children into education by integrating private, voluntary and government sectors.
SMALL drops in an ocean. This is how the people at Akshara describe their efforts. Ali this despite the fact that 20,000 children in slums around Bangalore have already been initiated into the world of letters by this foundation through its educational programme. View PDF