A quiz competition in 1977 at Mumbai's Elphinstone College is what brought Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani together with his future wife and philanthropist Rohini.
"We had a quiz competition, I was representing IIT and the quiz was (hosted) at Elphinstone College. That's how I met her," Nilekani told Nikhil Kamath in his podcast WTF, adding that IIT had "obviously" won the competition.
Elaborating more on their personalities, Nilekani said he was the "boring guy" while Rohini was more spontaneous, emotional, and "mercurial". He also commented on his wife being possibly the biggest environmental philanthropist in India.
In 2023, Rohini Nilekani became the only woman to make it to the top 10 of Hurun’s top Philanthropist List. The 64-year-old ranked 10th on the list after she donated Rs 170 crore to ecosystem building. Sharing her views on philanthropy, Nilekani had earlier argued that now is the time for civil societies to be boosted, and that India’s wealth creators need to do more about it.
The billionaire couple are also members of the Giving Pledge -- a movement initiated by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates -- and have pledged to donate 50 percent of their wealth.
In a statement, the Nilekanis explained why they joined the Giving Pledge movement. "We see that inequality is increasing sharply in most countries," the sated. "We see the young and the restless in this interconnected globe, unsure of their future, wanting more but anticipating less. We see a growing politics of polarization, of divisions, of brinksmanship. It is as if the world holds its breath. What should we do at this time? That is a question every citizen must ask. Those of us who have wealth beyond all our wants must ask that very sharply. Wealth comes with huge responsibility and is best deployed for the larger public interest. So what must the super-wealthy do?"
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