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HT | India’s Pastoralists Deserve a New Tale to Tell
Pastoralists are environmental stewards of the lands their livestock grazes on, not just extractors of value All in all, it’s been a good year for a sector that has remained largely invisible. After decades of neglect, the issues facing pastoralist communities and grasslands have finally come into sharper global focus — 2026 has been declared […]
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SSIR | Our Vanishing Developmental Commons
Written by Tanya Kak When I was a child, like many children, the street was where I learned how to live in the world. Playing was not just playing. We gathered every evening, first to decide what to play, then making our way through intense debates about how: the rules to follow, the boundary conditions to honor, the alliances […]
Keynote
The Telegraph | Rohini Nilekani urges philanthropists to embrace risk, patience for lasting social change
The third edition of ‘Setu: The Bridging Gap’ brings Kolkata’s grassroots changemakers into focus, with attendees pledging around Rs 13 crore towards social development Philanthropic capital is the “best risk capital”, said author and philanthropist Rohini Nilekani, urging donors to embrace risks and remain patient when supporting social causes. She stressed that meaningful and sustainable […]
Keynote
ToI | Rohini Nilekani Urges Indian Philanthropy to Embrace Risk, Patience
Kolkata: Indian philanthropy must move beyond merely increasing the amount of money being given and become more willing to take risks, exercise patience and think strategically to create lasting social change, philanthropist Rohini Nilekani said in Kolkata on Friday. Speaking as the chief guest at Setu 2026, the annual platform of SVP India Kolkata chapter, […]
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HT | The Birds and the Beeps: Clicks, Chirps and Calls are Boosting Conservation Efforts
As we learn to listen more closely, the field of bioacoustics is throwing up new ways to prevent conflict and protect ecosystems, writes Rohini Nilekani. Have you heard recordings of the curious, otherworldly sounds of whales? I was fortunate to hear for myself the click-clicking of sperm whales, as a pod with two youngsters swam […]
Keynote
Special Address: Indian Wildlife Ecology Conference (IWEC)
Rohini Nilekani delivered a special address at the Indian Wildlife Ecology Conference (IWEC) 2026 held in Delhi on July 12, 2026. TRANSCRIPT: I cannot tell you how happy I am to be here in this community of wildlife ecologists, academics, practitioners, researchers, all nature lovers like me. That’s the community I can proudly belong to. […]
Others
Press Release: With Support from RNP, ALT EFF Launches India’s Largest Environmental Film Fund
Applications now open for filmmakers across India; three selected projects to receive grants. Supported by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies (RNP), the All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) has officially announced the launch of the ALT EFF Film Fund, a landmark initiative aimed at strengthening climate and environmental storytelling in India. The fund, amounting to […]
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LiveMint | Polar bears, climate change and responsible travel in the Arctic
SUMMARY In Svalbard, the northernmost human habitation and the fastest-warming place in the world, observing polar bears provides lessons in why it’s important to safeguard the Earth’s last wild places I almost abandoned my Arctic adventure before it even started. Friends and family heaved a sigh of relief. Many thought my decision to swerve off […]
Others
Press Release | Launching the Samvardhan Biodiversity & Conservation Fellowship
Empowering India’s Next Generation of Conservationists: Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Dasra Announce Applications for the Samvardhan Biodiversity & Conservation Fellowship Open to early-career conservation practitioners from across India, especially those from grassroots backgrounds A 12-month fellowship offering financial support, mentorship, and peer learning for the next generation of conservation leaders Register and apply at https://samvardhan.dasra.org/ May 25, […]
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IE | The Tadoba-Andhari model: Balancing rising tiger populations with human costs
It is tiger time in India. All over the country, across at least 25 of the 58 tiger reserves, millions of people across economic classes and geographies are on the move despite the summer heat. Piling into jeeps, fancy SUVs, or forest department buses, and armed with mobile phones, point and click cameras or dangerously […]