Rohini Nilekani
Rohini Nilekani | |
---|---|
Rohini Nilekani in January 2013 | |
Born | 1960 |
Nationality | Indian |
Other names | Noni |
Alma mater | Elphinstone College St. Xavier's College, Mumbai |
Occupation | Writer, Philanthropist, and Chairperson of Arghyam Foundation |
Organization | Infosys, Arghyam Foundation, Akshara Foundation, Pratham Books, EkStep |
Notable work | Stillborn (1998) |
Television | Uncommon Ground (NDTV) |
Spouse(s) | Nandan Nilekani |
Website | Official website |
Rohini Nilekani (born 1960) is an Indian writer, author and philanthropist.[1] She is the founder-chairperson of Arghyam Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on water and sanitation issues, founded in 2001.[2][3] She also chairs the Akshara Foundation, which focuses on elementary education.[citation needed] Nilekani serves as the co-founder and director of non-profit education platform, EkStep.[4][5]
Early life[]
Rohini grew up in a middle-class family in Mumbai, India. Her father was an engineer and her mother a homemaker. She holds a degree in French literature from Elphinstone College.[citation needed]
Career and work[]
After completing her studies, Rohini started working as a reporter at the now-defunct Bombay Magazine in 1980 and later worked in Bangalore for Sunday magazine.[citation needed]
In 1998, she released her first novel, Stillborn, which was published by Penguin Books. Stillborn was a medical thriller novel and was well received by the readers.[5] She has written and published her own children's stories, Sringeri Series, published by Pratham Books, a non-profit publisher of children's books, which she co-founded in 2004.[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Jairam_Ramesh_briefing_on_Nirmal_Bharat_Yatra%2C_an_epic_journey_from_Wardha_%28Maharashtra%29_to_Bettiah_%28Bihar%29_to_create_awareness_about_sanitation%2C_in_New_Delhi._The_Actress_and_Sanitation_Ambassador.jpg/270px-thumbnail.jpg)
Her second book, Uncommon Ground, a nonfiction work based on her reporting as an anchor of the 2008 Indian TV program of the same name. Uncommon Ground was also published by Penguin Books in 2011.[6][5] In 2001, Rohini Nilekani founded Arghyam Foundation, a non-profit that works on water and sanitation issues and is funded by her personal endowment.[citation needed]
Nilekani is on the board of trustees of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE).[7] She serves on the Eminent Persons Advisory Group of the Competition Commission of India since May 2012.[8] In July 2011, she was appointed as a member of the Audit Advisory Board of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.[9]
Published books[]
- Stillborn, 1998, Penguin India, ISBN 9780670085620
- Uncommon Ground, 2011, Penguin India, ISBN 9788182638945
- The Hungry Little Sky Monster, 2020, Juggernaut Books, ISBN 9789353451349
Personal life[]
Rohini is married to Nandan Nilekani. She met him at a quiz competition at her college in 1977. The couple has two children, Janhavi and Nihar.[citation needed]Nilekani is also a philanthropist and pledged INR 50 crores to Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)[10]
References[]
- ^ Kallury, Kruttika (January 24, 2011). "The fountain heads". India Today.
- ^ "Woman of 2013 - Rohini Nilekani: One of India's best-known philanthropists". The Economic Times. January 5, 2014.
- ^ "ET Women's Forum: Kiran Nadar, Rohini Nilekani, Dipali Goenka battled sexism, prejudice to stay on top". The Economic Times. February 11, 2019.
- ^ Goyal, Malini; Aravind, Indulekha (July 12, 2015). "Nandan & Rohini Nilekani's 'world of good': How they are working on community-minded projects like EkStep". The Economic Times.
- ^ a b c d "Balancing Act: How Rohini Nilekani juggled motherhood and career pressures". CNBC TV18. September 28, 2019.
- ^ "Rohini Nilekani's book launched". Deccan Herald. October 14, 2011.
- ^ "Boards". atree.org. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ Nigam, Aditi (May 8, 2012). "Competition panel sets up eminent persons advisory group". The Hindu Business Line.
- ^ "New audit advisory board for CAG". The Hindu. July 23, 2011.
- ^ "Rohini Nilekani pledges ₹50 cr. to ATREE". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 2021-04-12. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-04-30.CS1 maint: others (link)
- 1960 births
- Living people
- Indian women writers
- Indian women philanthropists
- Indian philanthropists
- People from Mumbai
- People from Bangalore
- Infosys people
- Giving Pledgers
- Indian social entrepreneurs
- Indian women journalists
- 21st-century philanthropists
- Elphinstone College alumni
- St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni