“You cannot have societies where wealth is only used to benefit the wealthy. Otherwise, why would societies want to create that wealth?” she said, adding that Indian philanthropists must challenge old ideas and innovate.
Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill Courses
| Offering College | Course | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Indian School of Business | ISB Digital Marketing and Analytics | Visit |
| Indian School of Business | ISB Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing | Visit |
| Indian School of Business | ISB Applied Business Analytics | Visit |
| Indian School of Business | ISB Digital Transformation | Visit |
“I think philanthropists need to take on more risky philanthropy,” Nilekani said, highlighting the role of philanthropists in creating a fairer society.
“There is growing inequality in the world,” she said. Economic value is narrowly concentrated. “You have to let that value flow all the way down.”
If wealth remains concentrated in the hands of a few, the government may have reason to look to other means such as higher taxation to distribute wealth more fairly, Nilekani said.
The masses are not yet resentful of the wealthy, but if they will remain that way depends on how the wealthy behave, she said.
Discover the stories of your interest
In 2022, Rohini and her husband and Infosys cofounder Nandan Nilekani took the ‘Giving pledge’, following Bill and Melinda Gates, promising to give away at least half their wealth towards charitable causes in their lifetime.New technology has a role to play in philanthropy, she said. “There are new technologies, which can help everyone do their own part and do it with much less friction,” she said.
Nilekani cited Ekstep Foundation, which she cofounded in 2015 with her husband, and how it cooperated with the government to set up Diksha (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing), a national online platform for school education where now even private education sector players are encouraged to participate.
Society, government and market have to work together to achieve societal goals, she said. For instance, her organisation Pratham Books, which began in 2004, works with governments to improve access to books in government schools.
The organisation has created an open creative commons platform, Story Weaver, to make reading material accessible to children. The platform today has over 55,000 stories in 340 languages contributed from across the world.
Rohini Nilekani is also the founder of Arghyam Foundation, an NGO focusing on water and sanitation issues, founded in 2001.
“I think every wealthy person in this country should find their own way of clearly and transparently signalling their own philanthropy,” Nilekani said, adding that everyone is a human and citizen first, rather than a consumer. “You can’t keep on consuming your way out of bad governance, out of bad markets,” she said.
