People are taking experiences, know-how to India to “improve lives of citizens in India,” says founder of WISH Foundation.
Prominent technology entrepreneur and philanthropist Sunil Wadhwani said there has been a dramatic change in Indian American philanthropy in recent years.
“Over the last three to five years, I have seen a dramatic change in the kind of giving [Indian Americans],” said the cofounder of iGate and, more recently, the Wadhwani Initiative for Sustainable Healthcare (WISH).
The Mumbai-born and Pittsburgh-based technology leader was speaking at a panel discussion hosted by Indiaspora in Washington, DC, January 3, prior to a gala honoring the newly elected Indian Americans.
“[My] guess is that right now Indian Americans, philanthropically, are giving something like a $100 million to $200 million back to India,” Wadhwani said, adding, “It’s a good number. It’s up dramatically from five or 10 years ago, but it could be a whole lot more.”
He said, “Beyond the money, what I am finding much more interesting is the following: “People are taking the experiences that they’ve learnt with over here and seeing how they can apply that knowhow to improving the lives of citizens in India who are less fortunate.”
Watch Wadhwani’s full speech.
Wadhwani co-founded the Bridgewater, New Jersey, -based iGate in 1996. The company was sold to the French IT services giant Capgemini in 2015.
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