Giving it all away: Meet the billionaire who donates ₹7 crore every day to charity!

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : HCL founder Shiv Nadar, who has made social service his primary concern despite eschewing fame and name, topped the philanthropy race this year as well. According to the Hurun Philanthropy Index 2025, 80-year-old Nadar earned the country's No. 1 philanthropist spot by donating ₹2,708 crore in 2025. According to the report, he has topped the list four times in the last five years.

The Mukesh Ambani family ranked second on the list, donating ₹626 crore, while the Bajaj family came in third with a contribution of ₹446 crore. Nadar's most notable contribution in the philanthropic world is that he consistently donates more than ₹7 crore daily, on average, without any publicity.

From a Garage to a Global Company

HCL began in 1976 in a small garage with five colleagues, initially developing products such as calculators and microprocessors. Today, HCL's operations span 60+ countries and the company directly and indirectly employs over 223,000 people.

Shiv Nadar resigned as chairman of HCL Technologies in 2020, and his daughter, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, is now leading the company. But like her father, she prioritizes social service.

According to the report, Shiv Nadar's donations this year are 26% higher than last year. The funds, donated through his Shiv Nadar Foundation, have been spent on areas such as education, arts, and culture .