The unranked list, which ‘highlights notable altruists in the Asia-Pacific area,’ also included self-made millionaire and HCL Technologies co-founder Shiv Nadar, who has channelled close to USD 1 billion of his money through the Shiv Nadar Foundation over the last few decades. Gautam Adani, a billionaire, is one of India’s most generous benefactors. Adani was named to the 16th edition of Forbes Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy list, which was unveiled on Tuesday, for having given 60,000 crores (USD 7.7 billion) when he turned 60 in June. According to Forbes, the money will go toward healthcare, education, and skill development and will be channelled through the family’s Adani Foundation, which was created in 1996.
The unranked list, which ‘highlights notable altruists in the Asia-Pacific area,’ also included self-made millionaire and HCL Technologies co-founder Shiv Nadar, who has channelled close to USD 1 billion of his money through the Shiv Nadar Foundation over the last few decades. He gave 11,600 crore (USD 142 million) to the charity he founded in 1994 this year.
Nadar, who will leave the IT services firm in 2021, has used his foundation to assist establish educational institutions such as schools and colleges.
Billionaire Ashok Soota and Malaysian-Indian businessman Brahmal Vasudevan, as well as his lawyer wife Shanthi Kandiah, were also included to the list, which honours “philanthropists who donate from their own resources and provide personal time and attention to their preferred causes.”
Ashok Soota, a tech mogul, has contributed 600 crore (USD 75 million) to the medical research fund he established in April 2021 to investigate ageing and neurological disorders.
Brahmal Vasudevan, founder and CEO of Kuala Lumpur-based private investment firm Creador, and his lawyer wife, Shanthi Kandiah, help Malaysian and Indian communities through the Creador Foundation, a non-profit they co-founded in 2018. They committed 50 million Malaysian Ringgit (USD 11 million) in May this year to assist develop a teaching hospital at the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Kampar campus in Perak state.