Back to resources

Charge of the compassionate brigade

Civil Society | Jan 26, 2012

Modern society is classified into different segments. First you have the state, as represented by elected officials and lawmakers, politicians, ministers, bureaucrats and other organs of the state. Then there are the commercial bodies — companies, chambers of commerce and other market players.
The third segment (there is a fourth, the underworld and the mafia, but let’s not talk about it) is civil society, comprising “the arena, outside of the family, the state, and the market where people associate to advance common interests,” a definition coined by Civicus, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation.

View PDF

More like this

Civil Society

India's NGO Sector is the most diverse in the world

Writer and philanthropist Rohini Nilekani, wife of Infosys co-chairman Nandan Nilekani, has been deeply involved in development issues for many years now. She is the trustee of Akshara Foundation, which works to bring literacy and teaching programmes to poorer children; she co-founded Pratham Books, a non-profit publishing enterprise to produce high-quality, low-cost books for children […]
Aug 1, 2008 | Interview

Civil Society  |  Strategic Philanthropy

Rohini Nilekani: Digital Dependencies

This is an edited version of Rohini Nilekani’s comments on the “Digital Dependencies” panel at Digital Impact Mumbai Conference presented by the Stanford PACS on Feb 7, 2018. The panel discussion on “Digital Dependencies” was conducted by Lucy Bernholz, Director, Digital Civil Society Lab, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. They discussed ways that […]
Feb 7, 2018 | Speech

Strategic Philanthropy  |  Civil Society  |  Others

During the pandemic, we learned how Samaaj, Sarkaar and Bazaar work together in a crisis: Rohini Nilekani

This year marks 30 years since philanthropist-author Rohini Nilekani started her journey in civic engagement. She started with Nagarik, a public charitable trust, in 1992 and is now the Chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Director of EkStep, a non-profit education platform. She is the Co-founder and Former Chairperson of Arghyam, a foundation she set […]
Aug 23, 2022 |

Active Citizenship  |  Civil Society

Report | Hum Log: Active Citizenship and Civic Engagement in India

Key Questions What is active citizenship and how do members of society participate in civic issues in big and small ways?  How do different stakeholders interact one another and what are some positive outcomes of such civic expressions?  How can it be catalysed in the Indian context? What can the state, philanthropies, and civil society […]
Dec 14, 2022 |