It was nothing sort of a romcom about how Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani met his wife, Rohini Nilekani. In a recent interview, Mr Nilekani recalled the beginning of their love story at a “quiz competition” during his time at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.
“We had a quiz competition, I was representing IIT and the quiz was (hosted) at Elphinstone College. That’s how I met her,” Mr Nilekani told Nikhil Kamath in his podcast WTF.
Expanding on their personalities, Mr Nilekani described himself as the “boring guy,” while his wife, Rohini, is more spontaneous, emotional, and “mercurial.” He also noted that Rohini might be the largest environmental philanthropist in India.
Watch the interview here:
In 2023, Rohini Nilekani became the only woman to break into the top 10 of Hurun’s Philanthropist List, ranking 10th after donating Rs 170 crore towards ecosystem-building. She has previously emphasized the importance of strengthening civil societies and called on India’s wealth creators to contribute more to this cause.
The billionaire couple are also members of the Giving Pledge, a movement founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, and have committed to donating 50 per cent of their wealth.
In a statement explaining their decision to join the Giving Pledge, the Nilekanis highlighted growing global inequalities, political divisions, and the uncertainty faced by younger generations. They stated, “Wealth comes with huge responsibility and is best deployed for the larger public interest. So what must the super-wealthy do?”
