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Are billionaires south of the Vindhyas, or “down south” as it is often called, more willing to open their wallets than their counterparts in the north? So it would seem, according to a new report by not-for-profit IndiaSpend, which says southern tycoons are an eye-popping 800% more generous than those in the north.
The charge of the southern billionaire brigade is led by Wipro chairman Azim Premji, the Bengaluru-based IT czar who donated Rs 12,316 crore last year, making him the country’s top philanthropist for the second consecutive year. While this suggests that Premji’s contribution might skew the list, there are two others from the south in the top 10 compiled by Shanghai-based Hurun Research Institute. In sixth spot are Nandan and Rohini Nilekani, who gave away Rs 498 crore last year and at No.9 is S Goplakrishnan, who donated Rs 255 crore towards healthcare. Equally interesting is that all three are from the relatively new technology industry and are first-generation tycoons, with two of them, the Nilekanis and Gopalakrishnan, coming from the same firm: Infosys.
The other Infosys founder, N R Narayana Murthy, contributed Rs 57 crore less than last year, but the family’s philanthropic efforts are fairly well known, routed mostly through the Infosys Foundation, headed by Murthy’s wife, Sudha Murty. In a couple of days, the result of another of their endeavours, this time led by son Rohan Murty, will be available for all to see when the Murty Classical Library of India launches its first of translations of Indian classical literature.
Premji, who is obviously in this for the long run, has diverted most of his donations to education, for which his eponymous foundation has ambitious plans, starting from the grassroots level of primary education by working with the government right up to university. With the Nilekanis, Rohini is recognised as the face of their philanthropic efforts and they have, over the years, donated generously to educational and policy institutions (the Indian Institute of Human Settlements in Bengaluru and National Council of Applied Economic Research in Delhi, among others). Rohini also set up a non-profit working on issues related to water and sanitation.
What the list does not mention is that these southern tech tycoons are also known for shunning the ostentation others seem to indulge in. No 27-floor homes with helipads and an army of staff for them, thank you. The Nilekanis stay in a house in Koramangala and the Murthys in Jayanagar, both fairly upper middle-class neighbourhoods in Bengaluru, while Premji stays near the Wipro office. Nor is their family in the news for the fancy wheels or designer clothes they buy.
This modesty at times even extends to discussing charity. When I was working on a story on philanthropy a year ago, a spokesperson for a prominent business family in Chennai said the group would not talk about their foundation and that once, its chairman had even threatened to decline an award on the grounds that he would have to speak about their philanthropic activities while accepting it.
That’s taking things a bit far, but perhaps these tech czars might yet inspire fellow billionaires in other parts of the country to give away more of their wealth. (Incidentally, Premji is also the only Indian to have lent an ear to Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, and signed up for The Giving Pledge, the campaign to persuade the world’s richest to give away most of their wealth.) Incorrigible optimists might even hope that some day, the amount given to charity will be a bigger badge of honour for the wealthy than the size of their houses or number of cars!
