Interview
Interview: Rohini Nilekani, author, Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar: A Citizen-First Approach – “I wanted the book to be available free”
Your book Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar: A Citizen-First Approach has a selection of your essays and speeches over 15 years. How was your experience of revisiting all this material from the standpoint of where you are today? It was certainly rewarding to look at all the articles that I have written on diverse topics over the […]
Article
The young, optimistic and idealistic will shape India at 100
It is 75 years since we raised our own flag in our own country, reclaiming it for ever more. What a time for celebration. Here we are, a young democracy, alive with the throbbing hopes of a young population, seeking to fulfil the promise of the Constitution that we gave ourselves in the new India. […]
Keynote
Schemes to Systems: Samaaj led Welfare Delivery Models
Rohini’s keynote at Indus Action’s Schemes to Systems conference. Philanthropist, Rohini Nilekani stresses on how the voice of Samaaj should be amplified and understood, while reducing the administrative gaps. Thank you to Indus action and all the people gathered here. A special namaskar to the two senior politicians here – Dr Palanivel Thiagarajan ji and […]
Report
The Dialogic Method & Uncommon Grounds: Dialogic Processes for Dispute Resolution in the Social Sphere
Can the Dialogic Method be a means of empowerment, dispersed capacity for conflict resolution and problem-solving, and a way of creating community-oriented, win-win-win solutions? These possibilities emerge from a recent (2022) research conducted by VikasAnvesh Foundation for Kshetra / Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. The study, titled “Dialogic spaces for dispute resolution in the social sphere,” aimed […]
Others
Rohini Nilekani Receives Philanthropist of the Year 2020-21 Award from ASSOCHAM
Aligned with global business practices in fostering the concept of Responsible Corporate Citizenship, ASSOCHAM recognizes organizations and individuals that adopt innovative practices on Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. Taking a step forward, the ASSOCHAM continues to carry the legacy of a decade with “10th Responsible Organization / Social Responsible Individual Excellence Awards 2020-21.” A high-powered jury headed by Justice […]
Interview
Press Release: Arghyam Announces the Retirement of Rohini Nilekani as the Chairperson
Arghyam announces the retirement of Rohini Nilekani as the Chairperson; Sunita Nadhamuni is appointed as the new Chairperson Since its inception, Arghyam has operated via an endowment of Rs 150 CR provided by Ms Rohini Nilekani in her personal capacity. Bengaluru, June 28, 2021: Arghyam Foundation announced that Rohini Nilekani has decided to retire from […]
Panel
Surmounting the Second Wave; Pandemic Lessons
Pandemic Lessons on Dealing with Grief, Loss and Fear with Dr. Prabha Chandra, Prof. Paulomi Sudhir, Dr. Soumitra Pathare and Dr. Ravindra Mehta in conversation with Rohini Nilekani. The second wave of the pandemic has left ever more numbers of people dealing with stress and anxiety. There is fear and uncertainty, loss and grief. There […]
Article
Philanthropy Should be Humble, but not Modest
Apart from building a flexible and resilient framework for the future, philanthropists, civil society and the government must work in tandem so that every rupee is absorbed on the ground We can definitely say that civil society and the philanthropy sector stepped up rapidly in the face of the pandemic, March 2020 onward. Very quickly, […]
Keynote
An Introduction to Uncommon Ground
Introducing Uncommon Ground – a Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and CAMP Arbitration and Mediation Practice initiative – that looks to develop the individual and organisational capacity for deploying dialogue as the primary method for resolving conflict. Using a multi-disciplinary framework, including principles of dispute resolution through mediation with its emphasis on self-determination and collaboration, we are […]
Panel
The Post-COVID-19 Equilibrium: Philanthropy’s Role in Shaping a ‘New Normal
As COVID-19 continues to reverberate across the world, there are no guarantees that the post-pandemic equilibrium will be more equitable, just, or resilient than the world we face today. We are at a pivotal moment to deliberate on philanthropy’s responsibility in shaping this new equilibrium. In December 2020, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust […]
Interview
Gandhi’s timeless inspiration to Mission Leaders” with Ramachandra Guha
This is an edited version of a conversation with Ramchandra Guha and Rohini Nilekani. They discuss how Gandhi shaped his intent and life to fulfil his various goals of individual freedom and agency, a true Swarajya, and how he achieved impact at scale. Many of the choices he grappled with are relevant to us today. […]
Article
The World After Covid-19: Unless We Are Alert, The Pandemic Could Become The Last Nail In Individualism’s Coffin
For centuries, individualism or the notion that every human individual has intrinsic value has underlined ideas about societal organisation, the economy and justice. Recently, however, the primacy of the individual’s inalienable rights and freedoms has come under immense pressure. Individualism in the West originated from the Enlightenment. It believes in the moral worth of the […]
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 […]
Keynote
Closing Keynote | Strategic Non-Profit Management India | 2019
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s closing keynote address delivered to the 2019 class of the Strategic Non-Profit Management – India offered developed in conjunction with the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative and offered in association with the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy at Ashoka University. I think we are at a fairly […]
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 […]
Panel
We The People | Are India’s Rich Charitable Enough?
According to a report, the richest 1% Indians possess 58% of all wealth in the country. With the country’s growing income gap, the silver lining seems to be the deepening philanthropic streak in India’s ultra rich; the Nilekanis being the latest addition to the list of Indian billionaires who have pledged a portion of their […]
Article
Nandan and Rohini Nilekani join Bill Gates-led philanthropic group
The grouping, which is called Co-Impact, has been set up with an initial corpus of $500 million and will focus providing healthcare, education, and economic opportunity to the underserved populus in developing countries. Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and his wife Rohini have joined a grouping of billionaire philanthropists including Bill and Melinda Gates to set […]
Report
Report | Why Philanthropy Must Support Crowdfunding in India
Since the beginning of this decade, crowdfunding has enabled an ever-growing number of projects, from films to products to charitable work, to be successfully funded through online platforms. The proliferation of crowdfunding platforms in India that enable individuals and groups to seek funds for non-profit and charitable causes, is an indication that the public is […]
Interview
Stanford Social Innovation Review: Q&A With Rohini Nilekani
Two decades of giving have taught philanthropist Rohini Nilekani the value of pursuing unconventional approaches to tackling social problems. View PDF
Interview
Rohini Nilekani on the Role of Women in Philanthropy
Rohini Nilekani on the Role of Women in Philanthropy – Dasra India. This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s talk on the Role of Women in Philanthropy at the Indian Philanthropy Forum held by Dasra. The Economic Times has reported that Indian women are the most stressed in the world. 87% of women here […]
Panel
India at the Crossroads
This is an edited version of a panel discussion with Neera Nundy, Rikin Gandhi, Tim Hanstad, and Rohini Nilekani on Social Entrepreneurship: India at the Crosswords, at the 2015 Skoll World Forum. India is clearly at an inflection point. There is global momentum, true economic incentives, and real desire to achieve social and economic progress […]
Article
Negotiating Social Harmony – Uncommon ground – Rohini Nilekani
No servant can serve two masters: for either he wall hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” From Biblical times, this has been the conventional wisdom. But humbly correcting the dictum is philanthropist, journalist and activist, Rohini […]
Article
Invitation – Launch of Uncommon Ground – India International Centre, New Delhi
Penguin Books India cordially invites you to the launch of Uncommon Ground – Dialogues between Business and Social leaders – by Rohini Nilekani, on Thursday 20 October 2011 at 7.00 p.m. at Seminar Halls 2 & 3, First Floor, New Extension Building, India International Centre, 10 Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi. The author will be […]
Interview
Uncommon Ground: Path to India’s future
In 2008, Rohini Nilekani did the near-impossible by bringing sets of for profit business leaders and not-for-profit social leaders together on a TV show for focused debates on issues crucial to India’s future. Now, she has turned those discussions into her latest book, Uncommon Ground. The author-social activist-philanthropist spoke to Sangeetha Chengappa ahead of the […]
Article
Skills vs. Passion: The Challenges for Corporate Professionals Who Move into the Social Sector
Professionals “are very impatient to scale, and don’t realize that in the social sector, what to scale is more critical than how to scale,” says Rohini Nilekani, philanthropist and founder of Arghyam, a Bangalore-based NGO. Corporate professionals, Nilekani adds, tend to have a strong and mistaken belief in the power of the markets to solve […]
Article
Microfinance, Macro Trends
The macro crisis in the microfinance sector may not get resolved anytime soon. But it is a symptom of a much larger trend moving through the country. The Indian microfinance model developed differently from that in its original home in Bangladesh. It took root with self-help groups (SHGs) set up in Karnataka by Myrada, with […]
Article
BANGALORE FAST FORWARD – Knowledge City
Bangalore is a Happening City. We’ve heard it so many times. But what does that mean? Did the people of Magadha say it was a happening city? Or the citizens of Awadh? Or nearer in time, did Bombayites think their city was happening? And did this actually start getting said because the city in some […]