Meet woman, India’s biggest female donor who gave away Rs 1540000000 Crore in charity, she is not Nita Ambani, her name is…

Rohini Nilekani has been recognized as India’s most generous woman in the EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024, with a personal donation of INR 154 crores. Leading the list of Indian women philanthropists, she and her husband, Nandan Nilekani, have collectively contributed over 450 crores to various causes this year. At 65, Rohini ranks tenth among India’s top philanthropists. As Chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Co-founder of EkStep, a non-profit educational platform, she is dedicated to empowering communities and enhancing educational resources across the country.

In 2017, the Nilekanis committed to the Giving Pledge, a global initiative where wealthy individuals pledge to donate at least half of their fortunes to charitable causes. Rohini Nilekani is also the founder of the Arghyam Foundation, which works on water and sanitation issues.

According to the EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024, Rohini and Nandan Nilekani have made philanthropy a central focus of their lives, with significant contributions over the past three decades, particularly in education and community development.

Nandan Nilekani, 69, co-founder of Infosys, is also renowned for his philanthropic efforts and ranks 6th among India’s top philanthropists. The Hurun India report highlighted that Nandan donated a total of INR 307 crore in 2024, marking a 62% increase from his contributions in the previous year.

About Rohini Nilekani

Nilekani earned a degree in French Literature from Elphinstone College and began his career as a reporter at the Bombay Magazine in 1980, later working for the Sunday magazine in Bangalore.

Rohini Nilekani grew up in a middle-class family, with her father being an engineer and her mother a homemaker. Rohini and Nandan first met in 1977 at a quiz competition and married shortly after. In 1981, they co-founded Infosys with six other software engineers. The Nilekanis have two children, Janhavi and Nihar.

India’s industrialists and business leaders are well-known for their philanthropic endeavors, with one notable example being Ratan Tata, the late Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group, whose charitable work earned recognition both in India and globally.