Ajay Hinduja on Why Philanthropy Needs to Be Rooted in Responsibility

The Hindu

3 days ago

Across boardrooms and ballrooms, philanthropy today often comes wrapped in applause. Many public announcements of donations are now presented amidst applause, and philanthropy and charitable contributions all are now associated with reputational risk management. For Ajay Hinduja (57), a Swiss citizen and member of the steering committee of the Hinduja Foundation, this can dilute the essence of what giving is. He wants philanthropy to transition from a reward-based structure to one that relies on a responsibility-based approach to philanthropy.
This principle has always been true for the Hinduja Family, one of the most influential families of Indian origin in the world. Through the Hinduja Foundation, their granting has never looked to steal the show. The Foundation works with communities to support public health interventions, rural development, or educational change and they never want to be the centre of attention.
'Recognition is fleeting. Responsibility lasts,' says Ajay Hinduja. 'If our giving becomes performance, we lose focus on the people we are serving.'
Ajay's belief is borne out of a value system that is part of the Hinduja Family ethos - wealth is a means to serve, not to be self-serving. Ajay Hinduja has a quiet intensity he brings to the Foundation, and in some ways, the Foundation doesn't facilitate the feel-good news but has long-tail investment in impact where it matters.
This is evidenced by how the Foundation integrates its values in practice, across all of their work in India. Instead of solely focusing on scaling poverty training initiatives with externally verifiable impact designed for mass media, they leverage support for smaller grassroots organisations that may have limited mobilisation means but immense community trust. From facilitating education in the form of digital learning tools to local municipal schools, opens up circles of raising awareness for low resource programmatic intervention with collectively focused NGO partners, and adding credibility on access to water in communities drought stricken year on year, the Hinduja Foundation's look to support, embed and help others realise their purpose rather than assume the mantle of a patriarchal way of un-support based assistance.
Ajay Hinduja highlights how this mentality of collaboration is essential. 'We are not here to lead communities. We are here to walk with them,' he says. 'Responsibility is recognising that real change comes from within, not from the top down.'
A project that is particularly important to him is the Foundation's support for preventive healthcare camps for women in urban police departments. These low-profile initiatives have helped identify early signs of breast cancer among hundreds of women who might otherwise go undiagnosed. The Foundation does not brand the events, nor does it seek media attention for them. What matters, says Ajay Hinduja, is the outcome.
Another key area where Ajay Hinduja believes responsibility must prevail over recognition is in building local capacity. While we focus on education, health care or climate resilience, our strategy as a Foundation is to empower communities to develop their own capacity, rather than rely on outside resources. This process takes time, involves a lot of listening and requires you to be patient as you support those who are demonstrating leadership.
'Sometimes, the best thing a philanthropist can do is step back,' he reflects. 'Our role is not to be the hero of the story. It is to ensure the story continues long after we are gone.'
In a development sector where data dashboards, awards, and global ranks are all encompassing, Ajay Hinduja sees a different vision, one where effectiveness is not about brand value but where the measure is human value. The guiding philosophy of the Hinduja Family's humanitarian legacy has remained constant under Ajay's vision: serving others comes before celebrating.
The Foundation is stepping up and expanding its work in mental wellness, digital inclusion, and urban environmental issues. However, the underlying principles will not change working for accountability, not applause. Working with respect and giving with integrity.
For Ajay Hinduja, this is not a question of optics; it is a question of ethics. 'True philanthropy is quiet. It does not seek reward. It seeks relevance. It asks us how we can do better, be better, and uplift, not overshadow.' At a moment in time when public visibility so often governs philanthropic influence, Ajay Hinduja's perspective is delightfully uncomplicated Responsibility is not just a value. It is a discipline. And in that quiet discipline lies the power to create lasting change.
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