Skoll World Forum | Measuring Systems Change
Shifting complex systems toward greater inclusion and equity is no small task. And knowing whether we are making the impact we seek can prove just as difficult. What tools and approaches can we use? How can we promote true learning? How can we partner differently to understand our impact? Join this interactive session to hear […]
Alliance Magazine | The Future of Global Philanthropy
There is a need and opportunity for strategic philanthropy to drive large scale social change. Solvingintractable problems requires philanthropy, government and business sectors working effectivelytogether. But philanthropy’s impact is held back by a lack of data, research, and analysis and, attimes, leadership. This webinar launches new research on the future of philanthropy and hears fromphilanthropists […]
Impact/Failure Conference | The Decade of the Bold: Failures in Philanthropy
Speakers: Rohini Nilekani, Philanthropist | Carol Gribnau, DOEN Foundation Moderated by: Harish Hande, SELCO Foundation Many would believe that philanthropies are at the top of the food chain in the development sector. Some of the critical junctures in history, from independence movements, critical innovation pathways, all have been driven by philanthropic monies. How do we […]
What lies ahead? Challenges and Opportunities for Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar
This is an edited version of a panel discussion moderated by Rohini Nilekani, hosted by ATREE Bangalore. The panellists included Veena Srinivasan, K Vijayraghavan, Sameer Shisodia and Harini Nagendra, who discussed the role of science and technology in the environmental crisis and sustainable economy in the future. We know by now that all the problems […]
Decoding Reinvigorating Philanthropy & The Art Of Giving With Experts | India@75 | CNBC-TV18
This is an edited version of a panel discussion titled ‘Philanthropy Push: The Joy of Giving’ held as part of India@75. The panellists included Neera Nundy of Dasra, Amit Chandra of ATE Chandra Foundation and Rohini Nilekani. It’s great to be talking about the relevance of philanthropy and the issues facing the sector at the […]
#DPW2022 | Building Philanthropic Infrastructure A clarion call for India to step up
While India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world in the last decade, its growth story needs to be more inclusive. Over the last 5-6 years, the Indian philanthropy sector has shown interesting trends across funder segments – CSR, retail, and family philanthropy. On the one hand, the pandemic affected the […]
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 […]
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 […]
Applying an (Eco)system Approach to Funding — Experiences from Foundations and Philanthropies
The webinar tackled the issue that traditional funding models in international development (and beyond) based on siloed interventions and a projectized logic, rigid log-frames and short-term frameworks are not a good fit to foster societal transformations required for the world to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. This is an edited version of a webinar on […]
Rohini Nilekani and Kamaljit Bawa: How to Grow ATREE in the Era of Climate Change
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s conversation with Professor Kamaljit Bawa at Indiaspora Climate Summit on April 20th. They discussed the urgency of climate science and ATREE’s work. Out of all of the areas that I fund, I have come to the realisation that my environmental portfolio is perhaps the most critical as […]
Insider-Outsider-Insider
Rohini Nilekani moderates a discussion on delivering large-scale transformational programs, impact on the ground, and the implementation of such programmes in a large and diverse country like India. The discussion draws on the learnings from the Swachh Bharat Mission, the world’s largest successful behaviour change programme, which drew over 55 crore rural Indians out of […]
Innovation in Public Spaces: Bengaluru and the Republic of Zoom
Covid-19 was in many ways the Chief Transformation Officer to a digital world. It has been no different in the public spaces for discussions, theatre, museums, galleries, films, music and more. Many Bengaluru Public Institutions innovated during the pandemic period to stay relevant and connected. This is an edited version of a panel discussion moderated […]
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 […]
Building a Social Muscle via Mediation
This is an edited version of the CAMP IDEX mediation webinar on ‘Building a social muscle and finding common ground.’ Adversarial behaviours dominate our lives, but the culture of collaboration is growing. Justice Kurian Joseph, Sriram Panchu and Rohini Nilekani discuss how mediation can help society find common ground in this session, moderated by Krishna […]
ASER 2020 Wave 1 Report Release
This is an edited version of a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Madhav Chavan and featuring Mr. Ashish Dhawan from Central Square Foundation, Rohini Nilekani from Arghyam, and Vineet Nayar from Sampark Foundation. The ASER 2020 survey is particularly important because it is not only concerned with learning outcomes, but also the process of […]
Rohini Nilekani’s Comments at Launch of the #DigitalDecade to Strengthen Public Institutions
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s comments at an online event hosted by New America. The discussion was on the margins of the 2020 UN General Assembly to launch a #DigitalDecade to develop open source technology solutions that will strengthen public institutions in countries worldwide. We have reached a tipping point when it […]
Childhood Interrupted
This is an edited version of BIC Streams session titled ‘Childhood Interrupted’, a discussion that looks at the impact of the pandemic on children, especially between ages 8 to 18. Hosted by Rohini Nilekani, the participants included Dr. Shekhar Seshadri, professor of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NIMHANS; Kavita Gupta, founder of […]
Covid Cured: Recording the Recovery
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s conversation with Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Anshu Gupta, and Theja Ram about how they coped with COVID-19 and what they learnt about the disease, the health care system, and society in the pandemic. As of September 5, approximately 27 million people were confirmed to have been infected […]
Rohini’s address at “Building India’s Digital Highways: The Potential of Open Digital Ecosystems
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s talk on Open Digital Ecosystems. Globally, as well as in India, we are seeing more people realising that we need to create enabling infrastructure if we really want to address some of society’s most critical and complex problems. We need to reduce the friction to collaborate between […]
Grey Matters – Conversations with Women Leaders Defying Ageism in the Pandemic
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s conversation with Arundhati Nag, Geetha Narayanan, Nirupama Menon Rao, and Rekha Menon on defying agism in the pandemic. In this session on BIC Streams: Grey Matters, these iconic Bengaluru women, now in their 60’s or more address issues of ageism, sexism, and the uncharted future. As leaders […]
Rohini Nilekani, Ravi Venkatesan and Friends: Reimagining Abundance
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s conversation with Ravi Venkatesan (Founder, Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship) and Nipun Mehtra (Founder, ServiceSpace). Joining them is Brinda Govindan (a teacher at San Francisco State University), Shaalini Srinivasan (co-editor of MovedbyLove), and Jordyn Alexandra (a teacher in Salt Lake City). They discuss how to respond with […]
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 […]
The Missing Half – How to Bring Men to the Gender Conversation?
This is an edited version of a panel discussion titled ‘The Missing Half – How to Bring Men to the Gender Conversation?’ Devyani Srinivasan, an independent researcher assisting Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, participated along with Ravi Verma, Director of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) Asia; Sujata Khandekar, Executive Director of CORO India; Gary […]
Settlers Unsettled: How can Bengaluru Retain its Dynamic Workforce?
Bangalore is a city of migrants. But we do not know yet how many of them have left the city in the wake of the pandemic. With the lockdown partially lifted, many more may want to return home. There are indications that they may not wish to hurry back. The idea of home has never […]
Resilience, Hope: India in the Time of COVID-19 & Climate Change
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani in conversation with Jairam Ramesh (former Minister for Environment and Forests) and Navroz Dubash (Professor at the Centre for Policy Research). Moderated by Barkha Dutt, New Worlds is a three-part digital series by the India Climate Collaborative to discuss resilience and recovery in the face of our […]
Home Work: Imagining a New Deal with Domestic Workers
This is an edited version of a panel discussion on “Home Work: Imagining a New Deal with Domestic Workers” with Geeta Menon, Amita Baviskar, Alok Prasanna, and Vikram Rai, in conversation with Rohini Nilekani. The event was hosted by the Bangalore International Centre. Globally, one out of every 25 women is employed as a domestic […]
Keep the Change: Can Bengaluru Sustain the Lessons of the Pandemic
This is an edited version of a panel discussion moderated by Rohini Nilekani, on the city’s hope for a new normal post COVID-19. The focus is on what we have learnt from the pandemic, why it is worth preserving and, most importantly, how that good can be preserved, post lock down. The panel included Nitin […]
Community Cares: A City Responds
This is an edited version of a conversation about the community response to the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, moderated by Rohini Nilekani. Panelists include Anshu Gupta, Nalini Sekhar and Kuldeep Dantewadia. The times we are living in, and the reality of COVID-19, means that we are being called on to do things in new ways and […]
IPSMF | Panel Discussion on ‘The Future of News Media & The Role Of Independent Media’
This is an edited version of the IPSMF Panel Discussion on The Future of News Media & The Role Of Independent Media on October 25, 2019, at BIC, Bengaluru, moderated by Rohini Nilekani. The panellists included Anya Schiffrin, Professor, Columbia University; Govind Ethiraj, Founder, IndiaSpend; Jagannathan R, Editorial Director, Swarajya; Seema Singh, Founding Editor, The […]
Public Texts @ IIHS | The Urban Treeverse | Harini Nagendra, Seema Mundoli and Rohini Nilekani
Harini Nagendra, Seema Mundoli and Rohini Nilekani in conversation about the book, Cities and Canopies (Penguin, 2019). They discuss trees as memory keepers of cities.
Rohini Nilekani’s Comments on Philanthropy: It’s Time to up the Game
Rohini Nilekani’s comments on a panel discussing Mr Azim Premji’s new commitment to philanthropy totalling $21 billion. The panel discusses whether there are lessons in compassionate capitalism here for India Inc? What is the future of philanthropy in India? What are the challenges? How can India increase the effectiveness of charity? The panel discusses what […]
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 […]
Bangalore vs Bengaluru: The Tale Of Two Indian Cities
This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s panel discussion with Naresh Narasimhan (Architect), Vinay K Sreenivasa (Alternative Law Forum), Pawan Kumar (Film-maker), and T M Veeraraghav (Resident Editor, The Hindu Bengaluru). The discussion, titled ‘Bangalore vs Bengaluru: The Tale Of Two Indian Cities’ was a part of The Huddle 2017, held on February 10, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility in South Asia and the US
This is an edited version of a panel discussion on “The Use of Philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility for Social Change in South Asia and the US” with Rohini Nilekani, Geeta Pradhan, and Alnoor Ebrahim. The event was presented by The South Asia Institute at Harvard University in 2014. It was cosponsored by the Hauser […]
Thirsty for Change – How Can We Unite to Solve the Clean Water Crisis?
This interactive session at the 2014 Social Enterprise Conference sought to define the clean water crisis, discover innovative models and solutions that are driving change, and share your call to action for the millennial generation. In addition to hearing from experts on how they are taking advantage of opportunities across the entire space, it challenged […]
#BlrLitFest 2014 | Children and Young Adult Fiction
This is an edited version of a panel discussion on children’s and young adult fiction with Rohini Nilekani, Paro Anand, Marie Munkara, and Lakshmi Devnath, at the Bangalore Literature Festival, 2014. I have always thought of myself as a writer, no matter what else I have done in my life. When my children were young, […]
IIHS-UC Berkeley Conference | Building Urban Infrastructure in India
The “urban” economy plays an increasingly vital role in India’s economic development. The joint two day conference hosted by IIHS and the University of California, Berkeley on 26th and 27th March, 2013, brought together leading scholars from India and globally to discuss the many critical questions relating to the effective and equitable functioning of the […]
Connect The Dots: Water Matters
This is an edited version of Water Matters, an interactive panel discussion with Rohini Nilekani. The event, held at Max Mueller Bhavan on 22nd March 2013, World Water Day, was part of a campaign on sustainable water conservation in Bangalore run by The Alternative, a media platform on sustainable living. Bangalore is running short […]
Fast Track Justice Needed
ET Exclusive with Yasmin Premji, Rohini Nilekani, Sudha Murthy “Fast Track justice needed” Transcript 00:00 Speaker 1: By the time when India Inc. Is struggling to rope-in more women in the workforce and also ensure their safety, the first wives of the industry, Yathleen Praymti, Sutha Munthi, and Drogani Lilicani, spoke exclusively to Ithinaust […]
IIMB Round Table: Business and Development
Businesses now contribute to development through avenues other than the generation of employment and economic growth, such as corporate social responsibility initiatives, corporate accountability movements and alternative business models, using several partnership formats to deliver. A panel with representatives from leading corporations, NGOs, and a public sector bank discussed the changing nature of corporate power, […]
