Nandan Nilekani, The Aadhaar Architect And Infosys Co-Founder Shares How He Met His Wife Rohini Nilekani, Know Their Love Story

Infosys Co-Founder and Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani met his wife Roshni Nilekani during a quiz competition in IIT.

New Delhi: Infosys co-founder and chairman of Infosys Limited Nandan Nilekani disclosed in a podcast that he met future wife and philanthropist Rohini Nilekani in 1977 at Mumbai's Elphinstone College during a quiz competition.

"We had a quiz competition, I was representing IIT and the quiz was (hosted) at Elphinstone College. That's how I met her," Nilekani told Nikhil Kamath in his podcast WTF.

Compared to Rohini, who was described as more spontaneous, emotional and "mercurial," Nilekani described himself as the "boring guy." He added that his wife was perhaps India's biggest environmental philanthropist.

Who is Nandan Nilekani?

Nandan Nilekani is the co-founder and chairman of Infosys Limited. He was the founding chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in the rank of Cabinet Minister. Nandan is the co-founder of EkStep Foundation, a not-for-profit organization. Nandan was conferred with “Asia’s Businessman of the Year 2003” by Fortune Magazine. In 2006, the Government of India awarded him India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan.

Who is Rohini Nilekani?

Rohini Nilekani is the Chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. She is the co-founder and director of EkStep, a non-profit education platform. She is also the Founder of Arghyam which works for sustainable water and sanitation. She was the founder-chairperson of Pratham Books, a non-profit children’s publisher. 

Rohini Nilekani is a dedicated philanthropist. In 2023, she became the only female to rank in the top 10 on Hurun's list of the greatest philanthropists after donating Rs 170 crore to ecosystem development. 

In 2017, she signed the Giving Pledge with her husband Nandan—a movement initiated by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates—and pledged to donate 50 percent of their wealth.

In a statement, the Nilekanis explained why they joined the Giving Pledge movement. "We see that inequality is increasing sharply in most countries," they stated. "We see the young and the restless in this interconnected globe, unsure of their future, wanting more but anticipating less. We see a growing politics of polarization, of divisions, of brinksmanship. It is as if the world holds its breath. What should we do at this time? That is a question every citizen must ask. Those of us who have wealth beyond all our wants must ask that very sharply. Wealth comes with huge responsibility and is best deployed for the larger public interest. So what must the super-wealthy do?"