Rohini Nilekani urges Indian philanthropy to embrace risk, patience
Times of India | 22 August 2026
Kolkata: Indian philanthropy must move beyond merely increasing the amount of money being given and become more willing to take risks, exercise patience and think strategically to create lasting social change, philanthropist Rohini Nilekani said in Kolkata on Friday.
Speaking as the chief guest at Setu 2026, the annual platform of SVP India Kolkata chapter, Nilekani said philanthropy in India was at an important crossroads. While corporate social responsibility and philanthropic giving were growing, she said the focus must now shift to the quality and long-term impact of the capital being deployed.
“In my 35 years, I have found that it takes anywhere between 10 to 15 years to actually achieve sustainable social change. It is the most difficult thing in the world,” said Nilekani, chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, co-founder and director of EkStep, and founder and former chairperson of Arghyam.
She said philanthropists needed to ask whether they were willing to support initiatives over the long term rather than expect quick and easily measurable results.
“Many businessmen and businesswomen have told me it is much easier to build a business and achieve success because there is one clear marker of success which is the bottom line. But social change has been their most difficult journey, yet most rewarding,” Nilekani said .
The gathering brought together philanthropists, businesspersons, NGO representatives, social entrepreneurs, students and members of SVP India.
Nilekani also reflected on the larger purpose of wealth creation, arguing that material prosperity should come with a responsibility towards society.
“Great wealth comes with even greater responsibility, which is to make the world a little better than you found it,” she said, adding that wealth had a purpose beyond personal consumption and the pursuit of the next house, car or other material possession.
Asked about her greatest hope and fear for India, Nilekani said her encounters with organisations working on the ground gave her reason for optimism.
“When I go out into the field and see the commitment with which some of the organisations are working at the grassroots level, it gives me immense hope,” she said.
She also drew hope from a new generation of leaders. “Some of the young leaders are working without any baggage. They are thinking differently. They are thinking through technology. They are coming up with very institutional ways of addressing problems, and they are also bringing in young people like themselves. It gives me tremendous hope.”
Her biggest concern, she said, was that India should not lose sight of what has long defined its culture.
“Its diversity, its inclusivity, its ability to learn, its ability to constantly be vibrant, its ability to reflect, to be spiritually inclined. If we lose that, we will lose our biggest treasure that we have been so lucky to be bestowed with.”