Latest news with #AzimPremji
NDTV
3 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
UP Man Cycles 2,300 km In 25 Days To Meet Wipro's Azim And Rishad Premji
A man from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut cycled 2,300 km over 25 days through intense heat and rain to reach Bengaluru, aiming to meet Wipro's former chairman, Azim Premji and his son, current chairman Rishad Premji. Monish Thakur, also known as Monish Rana, expressed that Azim Premji's initiatives in education and human welfare deeply inspired him, motivating his desire to meet Premji to offer good wishes and seek guidance. He chronicled parts of his challenging cycling journey from Meerut to Bengaluru on LinkedIn. In a lengthy post, he wrote, "I, Monish Thakur, am cycling from Meerut to Bengaluru – a long and exhausting 2,300-kilometre journey. Today, I have covered 2,100 kilometres, with just a few steps remaining. My goal is not just to reach a destination – I am on this journey to meet a person who has dedicated his life to social service, Shri Azim Premji sir, and his son, Rishad Premji sir. Their contributions to education and human welfare have always inspired me. I wish to meet them to seek their blessings and guidance." Photos posted on the platform capture him at different stages, riding a bicycle adorned with a placard displaying images of Azim Premji and Rishad Premji. He described his 2,300-km cycling journey from Meerut to Bengaluru as not only physical but also spiritual, stating, "With every pedal, I am learning something new – the love of people, the challenges of the road, and the passion to fight for my dreams. If you connect with my journey, please share this post and support me so that I can safely reach my mission and show the world that if your resolve is strong, no path is too long." Notably, he previously cycled 15 days in 2023 to Mumbai, where he waited three days outside Bombay House to meet Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran. About Azim Premji Azim Premji, born July 24, 1945, is an Indian billionaire philanthropist and former chairman of Wipro Limited, a global IT company he transformed from a cooking oil business into a tech giant. Known as India's most generous philanthropist, he donated over $21 billion, including 67% of Wipro's shares, to fund the Azim Premji Foundation (est. 2001), which enhances India's public education system, impacting 8 million children. His initiatives also include Azim Premji University, health programs, and grants for marginalised communities. Inspired by Gandhi's trusteeship, Premji's philanthropy earned him accolades like the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Mission Bengaluru: UP man, who cycled for 15 days to meet Tata Sons chairman, takes 25-day journey to meet Azim Premji
A man from Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, Monish Thakur, cycled for 25 days, covering nearly 2,300 kilometres, to Bengaluru only to meet the Wipro owners – Azim Premji and son Rashid Premji, who dedicated their lives to social service. In a lengthy LinkedIn post, Thakur shared the details of his journey and said, 'Main MONISH THAKUR Meerut se Bengaluru tak cycle se safar par hoon – 2300 kilometre ka ek lamba aur thakaan bhara safar. Aaj main 2100 kilometer ka raasta tay kar chuka hoon, aur bas kuch kadam aur baaki hain.' Sharing the objective of his 'Cycle Yatra', the UP man said, 'Mera maksad sirf ek manzil tak pahunchna nahi hai – main is yatra ke zariye ek aise insaan se milne ja raha hoon jinhone apni zindagi samaj sewa ko samarpit kar di – Shri Azim Premji sir aur unke putra Rashid Premji sir.' Monish Thakur said the Premji's initiatives for education and human welfare have inspired him, and he wants to meet Azim Premji to convey his good wishes and seek guidance from him. 'Unhone education aur human welfare ke liye jo kiya hai, usse main hamesha prerit raha hoon. Main chahta hoon ki unse mil kar unka aashirvaad aur margdarshan le sakun,' Thakur wrote. He also said that his journey wasn't just a physical pursuit but also a spiritual one. 'Har pedaal ke saath main ek nayi seekh le raha hoon – logon ka pyaar, raste ki mushkilein, aur apne sapne ke liye ladne ka junoon.' Thakur hoped the Internet would support him in proving that 'agar irade mazboot ho, toh koi raasta lamba nahi hota.' In 2023, Thakur had cycled 15 days to reach Mumbai from Meerut, where he stood outside Bombay House for three days to meet Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran. A few months later, he described Chandrasekaran as a 'very simple' and 'nice' man in a conversation with Moneycontrol. According to a Hindustan Times report, Thakur, who reached Bengaluru yesterday, May 28, stood outside Wipro's Sarjapur Road office in Bengaluru for hours in hopes of meeting the father-son duo. However, he was stopped by the security personnel who asked him to draft a letter requesting an appointment. Thakur is awaiting a response from the Wipro office. 'I have blisters on my feet. I want to go back to Meerut after meeting them,' he told Azim Premji is a leading Indian philanthropist known for his transformative work in education and social development. Through the Azim Premji Foundation and University, he has improved public education in underserved regions, supporting over 400,000 schools. His philanthropic arm also funds health, gender equity, and livelihood initiatives. He has donated over ₹ 2.3 trillion, making him one of the world's top givers. Premji's efforts, including massive COVID-19 relief, reflect his deep commitment to equity, ethics, and nation-building through systemic change. Azim Premji was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2011.
Mint
22-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
The quiet philanthropists: Premji Foundation, Tata Trusts match social spending of top Nifty companies
Mumbai/Bengaluru: India's top philanthropic organizations are spending money comparable to the social spends of the country's biggest for-profit companies, a trend that has come to light after Bengaluru-based Azim Premji Foundation disclosed its financials for the first time in its quarter-century of existence. As per the reported financials, the eponymous not-for-profit entity of billionaire Azim Premji spent ₹1,528 crore on philanthropy in 2024. That was more than twice the ₹699.31 crore spent by the Tata Trusts in the same year, according to financials filed by the entity. The spends by the two Indian philanthropic organizations are on par with the CSR (corporate social responsibility) expenditures of the country's largest companies, including Reliance Industries Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd, according to aMintreview. Also read: Global engines power order growth for Larsen & Toubro Reliance Industries spent ₹1,592 crore on CSR initiatives in 2024, followed by TCS and HDFC Bank, which spent ₹953 crore and 945.1 crore, respectively. Following them were ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) and Tata Steel Ltd, which spent ₹634.5 crore and ₹580 crore, respectively, in 2024. Infosys Ltd took the sixth spot, spending ₹577 crore. To be sure, unlike philanthropic entities that are not bound by any regulation in terms of amounts to be spent, enterprises are mandated to spend a portion of their profits on CSR initiatives. According to the Companies Act, 2013, companies with a net worth of ₹500 crore or more, turnover of ₹1,000 crore or more, or net profit of ₹5 crore or more, must spend at least 2% of the average profits in the three preceding years on CSR activities. 'There was no particular reason why we decided to share this report," a spokesperson for Azim Premji Foundation said when asked about philanthropic entities sharing their numbers, adding that the financials will be shared 'periodically". The foundation spent ₹594 crore on teacher training in government schools across 60 districts, healthcare, and livelihood, according to the foundation's website disclosure. It also gave ₹934 crore in grants to non-government organizations (NGOs). Also read: Thermax's big test: Can its energy transition bets revive investor confidence? Tata Trusts' two principal trusts, Sir Ratan Tata Trusts & Allied Trusts, and Sir Dorabji Tata Trusts & Allied Trusts, spent ₹575.47 crore and ₹123.84 crore last year. 'Azim Premji Foundation and Tata Trusts are trailblazers in the Indian philanthropic world," said Amitabh Jaipuria, chief executive officer of Accelerate Indian Philanthropy (AIP), a peer network set up by philanthropists to support their giving efforts. Jaipuria said foundations like Azim Premji Foundation and Tata Trusts not only carry out social projects independently, but also make grants to several grassroots organizations to achieve social outcomes. Tata Trusts is an umbrella entity of 15 philanthropic organizations, which own 65.9% of Tata Sons, the principal holding company of the Tata Group. The Shapoorji Pallonji family owns 18.38% of Tata Sons' shares, while nine Tata Group companies own 12.86%. Seven individuals own the remaining 2.87%. After becoming the country's richest businessman at the turn of the century, Premji set up the Azim Premji Foundation in 2001, with an initial corpus of $125 million worth shares of Wipro. Over the past 24 years, according to public disclosures made by Wipro, Premji has given 66% of the shares he owned in the company to the foundation. Premji donated $21 billion, or 92% of his wealth, making him arguably the country's most generous billionaire. Infosys Ltd's co-founder and chairman, Nandan Nilekani, has described Premji as a 'giant figure". Wipro shares with the Foundation were worth $20 billion at the end of trading on Wednesday. Additionally, Premji has transferred the ownership of Premji Invest, his family office with $14 billion in assets under management, to the foundation. Also read: China's restrictions on rare earth magnets could crimp Indian EV rollout Finally, the foundation also owns 20.29% shares of Wipro Enterprises Ltd, the privately held non-IT business of Azim Premji. Valued at $10 billion in 2023, Wipro Enterprises houses the group's consumer care and engineering businesses. This translates to an additional $2 billion holding for the Azim Premji Foundation, which implies its endowment corpus is about $36 billion. The foundation's endowment was valued at $29 billion at the end of January 2023, according to the disclosure made by Azim Premji University, which has two campuses in Bengaluru and Bhopal.
Time Magazine
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
Azim Premji
Over five decades, tech magnate Azim Premji transformed his parents' small vegetable oil business into a global leader in IT. Today, he is better known as one of India's most generous philanthropists, directing his wealth to systematically improving India's public education system. The first Indian to sign the Giving Pledge, in 2013, Premji has endowed the foundation he launched nearly 25 years ago with over $29 billion in shares from his company, Wipro. In addition to disbursing traditional grants—$109 million went to 940 organizations focused on education, health, and other areas in 2023-2024—the foundation works directly with teachers and rural child care workers via 59 field offices and 263 teacher learning centers throughout India, on educational programs that have so far helped over 8 million children. The foundation also plays an advocacy role on education policy, helping to shape national its latest initiatives: constructing a third campus for Azim Premji University, which offers programs aligned with the foundation's mission, including in public health, education, and sustainability; a scholarship program for college-bound girls; and establishing over 480 child-care centers for kids ages six months to 3 years. In August, the foundation also committed around $175 million to expand school meal coverage for more than 5 million children—all collectively reflecting Premji's philosophy, influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, to regard 'holding one's wealth in trusteeship, to be used for the betterment of society.'
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
TIME 100 Most Influential People in Philanthropy 2025: David Beckham, Warren Buffett, Azim Premji & others who made the cut
TIME magazine has released its 2025 list of the 100 Most Influential People in Philanthropy , highlighting global change makers driving impact through charitable initiatives, funding, and policy reform. Among those who made the cut are David Beckham, honoured for his continued advocacy as a champion of change; Michael Bloomberg, named 2024's biggest donor; Oprah Winfrey, recognised for her work in female education; Melinda French Gates, who continues to focus on women, girls, and families; and Warren Buffett, credited with reshaping modern philanthropy. Indians on the list: Indian business tycoon Azim Premji , was recognised in the prestigious 'Titans' category, while Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath earned a spot in the 'Trailblazers' list. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Famous Celebrities With Unexpected Degrees Learn More Undo Azim Premji, the founder of tech major Wipro is better known as one of India's most generous philanthropists, directing his wealth to systematically improving India's public education system. The first Indian to sign the Giving Pledge, in 2013, Premji has endowed the foundation he launched nearly 25 years ago with over $29 billion in shares from his company, Wipro. In addition to disbursing traditional grants—$109 million went to 940 organizations focused on education, health, and other areas in 2023-2024—the foundation works directly with teachers and rural child care workers via 59 field offices and 263 teacher learning centers throughout India, on educational programs that have so far helped over 8 million children. The foundation also plays an advocacy role on education policy, helping to shape national its latest initiatives: constructing a third campus for Azim Premji University, which offers programs aligned with the foundation's mission, including in public health, education, and sustainability; a scholarship program for college-bound girls; and establishing over 480 child-care centers for kids ages six months to 3 years. Live Events Meanwhile, Nikhil Kamath, at age 36, became the youngest Indian to sign the Giving Pledge. He has donated "millions to environmental and educational projects—and has started his own offshoot initiative, the Young India Philanthropic Pledge (YIPP), which asks Indians under age 45 with fortunes over $100 million to commit to giving away at least 25% of their wealth." He and Nithin together have committed more than $100 million to their Rainmatter Foundation, which focuses on solutions to climate change, says TIME magazine. Meanwhile, YIPP has raised $8 million to fund projects such as upgrading 300 schools with better computers, career counseling, and other services.
