Just 'Charity', not 'Social Change' for Rich Indians


India, in the past two years has seen many eminent leaders take the oath for unbiased philanthropic work. Large pledges have been made by business leaders such as Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar, G. M. Rao and most recently by Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. Although their dedication towards philanthropy has been commendable, the resources provided by these leaders are limited unlike the resources in any other foreign country. The problems are huge and their donations address only a small portion of the mountain. Hence it is very important that these philanthropists have a laser focused vision, which addresses the most nucleus issues which will bring large scale changes at the structure level.
Rohini Nelakani
When the resources are very restricted it wise to invest in the most intricate problems. The philanthropic resources here are a drop in the ocean given what is needed; therefore it becomes a challenge to pick the most critical issue. Among the HNI philanthropists, Azim Premji, Ratan Tata, Rohini Nilekani and Hemendra Kothari are some of the famous leaders who have begun the catalytic philanthropist act. The respective foundations of these leaders have adopted approaches that have the potential to catalyze large-scale social impact on a variety of critical issues such as skills development, public education, water and wildlife conservation. These philanthropists are laser-focused, use data to drive systemic change, engage heavily on cross-sector collaboration to do their work, use multiple tools in the philanthropic toolbox (including advocacy, building knowledge for the field, mass/social marketing & communications) and measure and learn continuously as reported by FSG research.