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.

Biocon founder and chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a self-made billionaire entrepreneur who made it to Forbes’s Power Women 2020 list. Though she initially wished to be a brewer like her father, she later drifted to the biochemical industry. Apart from revolutionizing the Indian biopharma market, she also heads a charitable organization.

Tina Ambani is an Indian former actress who has appeared in popular Hindi films like Rocky, Wanted: Dead or Alive, and Deedar-E-Yaar. Best known as the wife of popular businessman Anil Ambani, Tina serves as the chairperson of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Harmony Art Foundation, and Harmony for Silvers Foundation.

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.

Vishnu Manchu is an Indian film actor and producer best known for his contribution to the Telugu film and TV industry. He is credited with founding a film production company named 24 Frames Factory. Manchu is also credited with founding a school named New York Academy in Hyderabad where he currently serves as the chairman.

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.

Confined to wheelchair for the first eight years of his life, Sangram Singh went on to become the World's Best Professional Wrestler, a title he won in 2012 for his style, stamina, and nature of wrestling. A brand ambassador for Government of India's Fit India Campaign, he also serves as a motivational speaker and appears in various reality television shows.

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.

Best known as the founder of the Self-Employed Women's Association of India, or SEWA, Ela Bhatt is a champion for women empowerment. Her efforts have won her awards such as the Padma Shri, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, and the Padma Bhushan. A trained lawyer, she has also been a Rajya Sabha MP.

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.