Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and Chairman, generously donated ₹315 crore to his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, to support the institute’s goal of becoming a world leader in technology and engineering, garnering immense praise from entrepreneurs and key Indian business figures.
What Happened? Prominent business figures applauded Nilekani’s gesture on Twitter after news of the donation broke on Tuesday.
Kunal Bahl, co-founder of Snapdeal, lauded it as “amazing, incredible, and inspirational”. Nearbuy founder Ankur Warikoo and MASBR Group Chairman Arvind Raghava both praised Nilekani’s donation. Meanwhile, Edelweiss Mutual Fund’s MD & CEO, Radhika Gupta, too expressed admiration for Nilekani.
Kris Gopalakrishnan, a fellow Infosys co-founder, also publicly complimented Nilekani’s donation, expressing hope that leaders from other industries would support higher education and academic research.
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Nilekani announced his donation after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri, the Director of IIT-B, in Bengaluru. This donation, combined with his earlier contributions of ₹85 crore, brings Nilekani’s total contribution to IIT-B to ₹400 crore.
The institute expects that his latest ₹315 crore donation will improve its infrastructure, promote research in emerging engineering and technology fields, and support a startup ecosystem.
Nilekani has maintained a relationship with IIT-B for 50 years, having joined the institute in 1973 to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. His donation is one of the largest ever made by an alumnus in India.
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