Famous Indian Philanthropists

Savitribai Phule was a revolutionary social reformer who dedicated her life to educate girls and bring about gender equality in the face of resistance from the conservative Indian society. Phule, who was illiterate till her marriage, went on to become a teacher, a feat considered first by an Indian woman. With her husband, she established schools for girls in Maharashtra.

Padma Bhushan-winning Indian billionaire businessman Shiv Nadar is known as the founder and chairman of the IT company HCL and the Shiv Nadar Foundation. While he transformed HCL from an IT hardware company into an IT enterprise, by 2021, he also turned himself into the third-richest Indian.

Founder of Global Peace Initiative and Gospel to the Unreached Millions, Indian evangelist K. A. Paul is well-known for his charitable work among the poor.  As an evangelist, he has traveled all over the world and has interacted with numerous leaders.  However, he has also been dogged by controversies throughout his career.

Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar was the maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1940 to 1971. He was the son of Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wadiyar and Yuvarani Kempu Cheluvajamanni. Even though the monarchy was abolished in 1950, he continued to hold the title of maharaja until 1971. He was also known as a philosopher, musicologist, and political thinker.

The son of former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in India, Akhilesh Das was not just a qualified lawyer but also boasted of a PhD in management. A talented badminton player, he had also headed the Badminton Association of India. He had also represented the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Born to a courtesan mother in Aurangabad, as Chanda Bibi, Mah Laqa Bai mastered Deccani Kathak. She grew up to be a refined woman, skilled in everything from martial arts to poetry. Remembered for her fine ghazals and Urdu poetry, she was also the courtesan of the Nizam of Hyderabad.