~Sixteen powerful stories that reveal how India’s top wealth creators are transforming success into significance and living their legacy through giving~
India is witnessing a new wave of giving. Once seen as charity, philanthropy today has become a conscious choice, a second calling for a generation of wealth creators. Capturing this shift is Live to Give – Inspiring Stories of Wealth with Purpose, a new book by author and entrepreneur Rashmi Bansal in collaboration with Accelerate Indian Philanthropy (AIP).
Published by Bushfair Publications, the book was launched in Delhi today, with launch events in Mumbai (October 9) and Bangalore (October 14) to follow.
Live to Give brings together the journeys of sixteen philanthropists whose work spans education, healthcare, livelihoods, culture, mental health, and systemic transformation. The book features voices as diverse as Ajit Issac, Ankit Nagori, and Binny Bansal, alongside healthcare pioneer Dr. Sunita Maheshwari, business leaders such as Harsh Mariwala and Pramod Bhasin, and family philanthropists such as Kumari and SD Shibulal. It also profiles Rekha and the late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala; Rekha and Rizwan Koita; Sanjiv Kumar and Setika Singh; Sanjiv Saraf; Shabana and Faizal Kottikollon; Sunil Wadhwani; Susmita and Subroto Bagchi; Swathi Kantamani and Vikrant Bhargava—each bringing their own distinctive approach to giving and using their wealth with purpose.
Each chapter in the book—Live to Give, explores not just how India’s leading philanthropists give, but why they give, uncovering their personal beliefs, turning points, and strategies that shape their journeys. The book is organized into three thematic sections: Prana, which reflects heart-led, hands-on engagement; Gyaan, which represents strategic, scale-driven problem solving; and Daan, which highlights trust-based Philanthropy. Together, these stories illustrate that there is no single way to give, only intentional and purposeful ones.
The release of this book comes at a critical moment for India, as conversations around wealth creation and purpose grow sharper. According to Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2025, India’s population of those with assets over $10 million (roughly ₹90 crore) is set to cross 93,000 by 2028. The 14th edition of the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2025, published earlier this month, shows that India’s billionaire count has now exceeded 350—a staggering six-fold increase since the Rich List was first launched just over a decade ago. Collectively, their wealth of an estimated ₹167 lakh crore is nearly half of India’s total GDP. This explosion of private wealth is being matched by a nascent focus on giving back. According to the 11th annual edition of the Edelgive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024 (released last year November) the total value of the 203 featured philanthropists was over ₹8,700 crore. The top 100 philanthropists alone contributed ₹8,000 crore, demonstrating a growing trend of translating wealth into impact and legacy.
Speaking at the launch, Rashmi Bansal said “Live to Give is not about wealth itself, it is about what wealth can achieve when guided by purpose. Too often, we celebrate success only in terms of money, but a true legacy is built when that success is shared. Each of the 16 stories in this book shows us a different path: some give with their hearts, some with strategy, others with quiet trust. What unites them is conviction, the belief that giving is not charity, but responsibility. I hope this book inspires many more to see giving as their second calling.”
Ashish Dhawan, Founder-CEO, The Convergence Foundation and AIP Core Founder: “Giving has always been part of India’s DNA. What’s new today is the scale of opportunity—to transform philanthropy into a catalyst for large-scale systemic change”
