Who gave the most?
Have you heard of Hurun Report? Well, you can shrug your shoulders and say that there are so many reports nowadays that it is virtually impossible to keep track of all of them. That’s true indeed. This report, the Hurun, is different in the sense it is not owned by any corporate or FII or bank; it stands for the name of a Chinese man whose published reports have become a rage. Named Rupert Hoogewerf, he is better recognized by his Chinese name Hu Run and he is publisher of the Hurun Report, a monthly magazine best known for its "China Rich List", a ranking of the wealthiest individuals in China.
He has released the Hurun India Philanthropy List 2014, a ranking of the most generous individuals from India. Donations were measured by the value of their cash or cash equivalent from 1 April 2013 to 31 October 2014. This is the second year of the list and follows on from the Hurun India Rich List, a ranking of the 230 richest individuals in India, released in September for the third year running. The highlights of the report:
- IT tycoon Azim Premji is crowned “Most Generous Indian”, donating #8377;12316cr.
- Anil Agarwal of Vedanta Resources, came in second with a donation of #8377;1796cr, primarily towards Social and Rural Development.
- Shiv Nadar came in third with a donation of #8377;1316cr.
- Indian philanthropists becoming more generous. 50 philanthropists donated #8377;10cr or more, up 19 on last year.
- Education remains the favoured philanthropic cause, accounting for 80% of the donations.
- Region-wise, South Indians are most generous, donating #8377;13,300cr, five times donations of North Indians
- Mumbai is home to most of the Hurun philanthropists with 15 individuals, followed by Bengaluru and Delhi
- Ashish Dhawan (45) of Central Square Foundation is the youngest philanthropist on the list; oldest being Pallonji Mistry (85) of Shapoorji Pallonji.
- 11 of the Top 50 do not live in India. Of these, 5 made their donations in India.
- 73% of the philanthropists are Self-Made. 37 Philanthropists are Self-made, compared to a mere 21 last year.
- The average age of is 56 years, same as the average age of the Hurun India Rich List.
- 42 of the Top 50 are also listed in the Hurun India Rich List 2014.
Ratan Tata donated Rs.620cr to various charitable organisations for the underprivileged through the JRD TATA Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust, rising to Number 4 on the list. Mukesh Ambani ranks fifth though he is the richest man in India; he donated Rs.603 crore. Nandan and Rohini Nilekani stand Sixth in the list with a contribution of Rs.498cr.