A conversation with Amit Varma on The Seen and the Unseen.
He studied law, found success as an entrepreneur, and has since spent almost two decades in the social sector trying to make the world a better place. Gautam John joins Amit Varma in episode 437 of The Seen and the Unseen to share his reflections on society, technology, gender, friendships, fatherhood…
Transcript
This transcript was generated with AI-assisted transcription and may contain occasional transcription or speaker-attribution errors.
A conversation with Namrata Agarwal on Quest for Better Futures, the QUEST Alliance podcast.
In Episode 11 of Quest for Better Futures, Gautam John and Namrata Agarwal discuss how we can move beyond seeing young people as passive recipients of change and instead recognise them as active co-creators of solutions. How can we build a culture of active citizenship in India? How should institutions evolve to support this?
Transcript
This transcript was generated with AI-assisted transcription and may contain occasional transcription or speaker-attribution errors.
Session IV from the AndPurpose Forums in Bengaluru, on aligning philanthropy, impact, and venture capital for a livable future.
In this session from the AndPurpose Forums, leaders across philanthropy, venture capital, and social impact come together to explore how aligned capital can shape a more livable and equitable future.
Transcript
This transcript was generated with AI-assisted transcription and may contain occasional transcription or speaker-attribution errors.
Closing address at the India Civic Summit 2025, hosted by Citizen Matters and Oorvani Foundation.
Gautam John, CEO of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, rounded off the India Civic Summit 2025 with this closing address.
Transcript
This transcript was generated with AI-assisted transcription and may contain occasional transcription or speaker-attribution errors.
To conclude this session as well as the India Civic Summit 2025, I will invite Mr. Gautam John to come and talk to all of us and leave us with some of his thoughts on active citizenry in general. Gautam John is the CEO of Rohini Nilkani Philanthropies. Prior to this, he has spent several years with the Akshara Foundation building the Karnataka Learning Partnership and at Pratham Books.
He was also a TED India Fellow in 2009. Gautam, please take the stage.
I apologize for those of you who were expecting Rohini needs me. I am neither as smart nor as wise, but I will try and channel her wisdom. Second, they promised me I would start the session.
Now I have to speak after Dr. Narayanan and after all of this amazing work that happens in these cities, so no pressure. But I do want to say that for a philanthropy whose entire reason for being is based on the idea of Samaj being foundational, to recognize the raw energy, passion, talent and interest and care that this room represents is both humbling but also deeply inspiring. To say that Samaj is foundational and to say that citizens must co-create solutions and to say that citizens must participate in governance is almost glib because this is what it takes to do it.
It takes patience, it takes perseverance. Sorry, I was recording this and then I decided to. It takes patience, perseverance and a whole lot of grit in the face of immense structural challenges to hold fast to this work.
And if you will forgive my language, I just want to say thank you for giving a shit. Because this work isn’t easy like Dr. Narayanan said, like many of you acknowledge, this work isn’t easy. It’s often thankless and it’s almost always, how to say, invisible.
And it’s not always easy trying to be the invisible infrastructure that makes citizens, citizenry and cities work. It’s not often easy to be invisible and not thanked, not recognized. But I do want to say it’s what moves all of us forward.
Like we saw the amazing examples of the organizations from Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai and across the country, it’s this spirit and this latent interest in what keeps us together as a society that moves us forward. And what I do want to say is really that we as a philanthropy, but also we as citizens recognize that this work matters and your work matters. Every effort, no matter how small, has a way of expanding beyond what we can see.
And while Gandhi may have never said, be the change you want to see, it’s true that change ripples from inside out, not necessarily from outside in. Change doesn’t happen because someone grants it from above. It happens because people like you insist that it happens from the ground up.
Thank you for your commitment, your energy and for proving that the most powerful solutions often start with the samaj. Thank you very much and thank you to the Uruwani Foundation for holding this space for all of us, all of you, and for doing it year on year. I look forward to next year.
A conversation with Anu Prasad, Founder and CEO of India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS).
Gautam John, CEO, Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, in conversation with Anu Prasad, Founder and CEO, ILSS, discussing the significance of fundraising as a key driver of sustainable scaling — fundraising strategies, building trust through partnerships, and what it takes to grow social-sector organisations beyond the founder.
Transcript
This transcript was generated with AI-assisted transcription and may contain occasional transcription or speaker-attribution errors.
An interview for Conversations of Change, a Climate Asia video series on climate leaders and the climate ecosystem.
The ‘Conversations of Change’ series is a video interview series centred around one of the most pertinent crises of our times — climate change. This is an attempt to synthesise perspectives around climate action, skills, talent and the journey of various climate leaders and their role in the climate ecosystem.
Transcript
This transcript was generated with AI-assisted transcription and may contain occasional transcription or speaker-attribution errors.
A Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies webinar on systems-led funding approaches.
The webinar tackled the issue that traditional funding models in international development — based on siloed interventions and a projectised logic, rigid log-frames and short-term frameworks — are not a good fit to foster the societal transformations required to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
Transcript
This transcript was generated with AI-assisted transcription and may contain occasional transcription or speaker-attribution errors.
An NDTV panel discussion on the rise of stay-at-home fathers in India.
Our society is witnessing a growing new trend — the phenomenon of ‘stay-at-home dads’, where fathers take on the role of primary caregivers to their children while the mothers take on the role of the primary breadwinners. Is our society ready for this role reversal?
Transcript
This transcript was generated with AI-assisted transcription and may contain occasional transcription or speaker-attribution errors.
Gautam John 