Rohini Nilekani, Ajay Piramal, Desh Bandhu Gupta and Ashish Dhawan are the four Indians who have made it to the annual Forbes list of “Heroes of Philanthropy in Asia Pacific” among billionaires and business people.
The Forbes list comprises 48 people including four each from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.
Releasing the list, Forbes said that these 48 have contributed to the society with their ‘generosity’ and include billionaires as also the ‘less well-known business people’.
Listing Rohini Nilekani (wife of Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani) as one of the notable altruists, Forbes said she has given away about $40 million over the years for philanthropy.
She set up Arghyam, which supports projects to protect groundwater and improve sanitation in India.
Another listed Indian is Ajay Piramal, a serial entrepreneur and pharma tycoon; Forbes said he has donated $ 6 million over the past four years.
75-year-old Desh Bandhu Gupta, Founder and Chairman of drug-maker Lupin, is also among the four Indians on this Forbes list. Endowing his charitable foundation past year with $3.3 million, Gupta has earmarked another $20 million to be spent over the next five years.
Youngest among the four Indians is 45-year Ashish Dhawan, a Harvard MBA and former Goldman Sachs banker. Dhawan, who stepped down from private equity major Chrys Capital in 2012 to set up Central Square Foundation, has pledged $8.5 million to the foundation.
He has also donated $3.5 million to the newly established Ashoka University, which aims to provide a world-class, liberal arts education at an affordable cost.
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