Rohini Nilekani

I have a philanthropy advisor, Hari Menon, who was earlier at the Gates Foundation.

— Rohini Nilekani

Good laws are fair, do not discriminate against any group and are reasonably implementable.

— Rohini Nilekani

It is one thing to obey a government order. It is quite another to succumb to resurrected irrational fears, especially of 'the…

— Rohini Nilekani

When a government is in fear of dissent from its own citizens, and when its reaction is to shut out that dissent,…

— Rohini Nilekani

One of the great conundrums in philanthropy globally is that the way wealth creation happens itself often creates the inequities in society.

— Rohini Nilekani

My grandfather passed away in 1946, too early to see his dream of an independent India being realized.

— Rohini Nilekani

No single institution or effort can effectively create solutions for societal problems.

— Rohini Nilekani

If anything, all homes should have piped water supply and sanitation, which could improve public-health indicators and reduce infant mortality.

— Rohini Nilekani

Most disciplines invite us to more mindfulness, and more contentment. Not by consuming more externally, but by harvesting more from within, and…

— Rohini Nilekani

A low-water economy should rest on the principle that water be left in its natural state in the environment as much as…

— Rohini Nilekani

Unmanageable waste has turned into a worldwide crisis. No matter how much local authorities do, no matter the level of public cooperation,…

— Rohini Nilekani

Addressing governance issues are important because whichever silo you work in, be it education, microfinance, sanitation, food or health, you would eventually…

— Rohini Nilekani

The urbanising middle class of the 1960s and 1970s had schools, hospitals, roads, energy services, even cultural institutions - all created by…

— Rohini Nilekani

Societies have debated the severity of punishment for vile acts over millennia, with complex moral arguments on both sides of the question.…

— Rohini Nilekani

History has shown us many times that if the state repressively forces the redistribution of wealth and social justice, it becomes dangerous…

— Rohini Nilekani

I think those who are already in philanthropy and enjoying it and making a difference have a responsibility to share their stories…

— Rohini Nilekani

Unfortunately, the overwhelming moral force exerted by leaders like Gandhi comes by too rarely in the life of a nation.

— Rohini Nilekani

Depending on which of the many hydrogeological zones of India you tap into, the water can either be easy to reach or…

— Rohini Nilekani

India's waste problem is gigantic, and with its economy growing steadily, it will be compounded manifold.

— Rohini Nilekani

India is a groundwater civilization. Almost all Indians use groundwater, directly or indirectly, each day.

— Rohini Nilekani

We cannot be mere consumers of good governance, we must be participants; we must be co-creators.

— Rohini Nilekani

We all need good laws, and an independent, impartial, and efficient judiciary to verify the constitutionality of those laws.

— Rohini Nilekani

As ordinary citizens, we don't spend much time reading about and thinking through the creation of new laws or amendments of old…

— Rohini Nilekani

Governments do have the duty to protect national interest. But we should not be afraid of foreign funding of Indian CSOs, unless…

— Rohini Nilekani

Bihar has always drawn me, ever since I was a child, brought up on the stories about my grandfather Babasaheb Soman.

— Rohini Nilekani

If the privileged in society can use that privilege to privilege others, then the consequences can be tremendous.

— Rohini Nilekani

We need more imagination, more innovation and more public financing for projects and programmes that harness the positive energy of young men.

— Rohini Nilekani

I felt very uncomfortable when I became wealthy. One of my ways of dealing with it was to give it forward right…

— Rohini Nilekani

We must overcome our cultural barriers that giving should be a private and silent activity.

— Rohini Nilekani

India is criss-crossed with the most elegant wells that tap into the shallow aquifer.

— Rohini Nilekani

What role can such philanthropy play in a society like ours? For one, philanthropic capital can go where markets will not go…

— Rohini Nilekani

Putting a climate change lens on policy making offers a huge opportunity to make smart decisions about India's future.

— Rohini Nilekani

When you keep un-bundling various aspects of a social problem, you can arrive at a very basic, common space.

— Rohini Nilekani

India has a long tradition of giving that cuts across all sections of society. It is a living legacy that we can…

— Rohini Nilekani

As with oil, water exploitation raises an inter-generational debt that will be hard to repay.

— Rohini Nilekani

For the lakhs living along its banks, the Aghanashini has given people life and livelihoods.

— Rohini Nilekani

Work from home will relieve the pressure on urban infrastructure and land, which can be released for mass housing or public transport,…

— Rohini Nilekani

Rich or poor, we all need organizations that can represent us; we all need modes of collective action when individual action does…

— Rohini Nilekani

I believe that any society that allows the creation of legitimate wealth expects that the wealth be used for its benefit.

— Rohini Nilekani

Once you are wealthy, you are in a nice comfort zone and want to stay there. So I always look in the…

— Rohini Nilekani