The Philanthropy Paradox | Jaipur Literature Festival 2026

Video Description

The Philanthropy Paradox | Esther Duflo, Siddharth Sharma, Vaibhav Budhraja, Kanta Singh in conversation with Naushad Forbes While India’s philanthropy sector continues to grow with more family offices, HNIs and CSR initiatives seeking to bring social change, significant systemic gaps remain. An illustrious panel including Esther Duflo, Nobel Laureate and Director of J-PAL, Siddharth Sharma, CEO of Tata Trusts, Kanta Singh, Country Representative UN Women, Vaibhav Budhraja, Senior Director and Head, Marketing, The Nudge Institute, and Naushad Forbes, co-chairman of Forbes Marshall, examines the nation’s potential to address issues around social innovation, culture and creativity, and how it must evolve with accountability and responsibility to transform communities and shape the nation’s future. Esther Duflo is a Nobel Prize–winning economist renowned for her innovative approach to addressing global poverty. Her research emphasizes evidence-based solutions, using rigorous experiments to test and implement policies that improve lives. She is a co-founder of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), a global research center dedicated to applying scientific methods and data-driven insights to fight poverty. Duflo’s work spans health, education, microfinance, and social protection, reshaping development economics by demonstrating that small, well-designed interventions can create significant, lasting impact. Her contributions continue to influence policy, research, and practical solutions worldwide. Siddharth Sharma is the CEO of Tata Trusts, one of Asia’s oldest and largest philanthropic organisations, driving impactful interventions across health, education, livelihood, sustainability, and more. Previously, he served as Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Tata Sons, leading the Group’s sustainability and Net Zero 2045 agenda. A former civil servant, he spent over 25 years in key Government of India ministries, including as Financial Advisor to the 13th and 14th Presidents. He also serves on the boards of multiple non-profits and Section 8 companies, combining administrative leadership with strategic vision to foster sustainable social impact. Vaibhav Budhraja is Senior Director and Head of Marketing at The/Nudge Institute, working at the intersection of social innovation, public systems, and capital to build resilient livelihoods and enable inclusive growth. Drawing on over 15 years across FMCG, Technology, Education, and Social impact sectors, he brings a practitioner’s lens to questions of scale, accountability, and durable social change. Kanta Singh has over 25 years of experience in the management of pro-women development programmes. Singh has worked with national and international organisations to promote women in formal economies, sports and politics. Her last assignment was with the UNDP where she spent 9 years. Currently she is the Deputy Representative with UN Women India. Naushad Forbes is Co-Chairperson of Forbes Marshall, India's leading Process and Energy Efficiency company. He is Chair at Ananta Aspen Centre, as well as the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Economic Research. He is on the boards of various educational institutions and public companies. He has been an active Confederation of Indian Industry member, serving as President in 2016–17. He is a founding member of Nayanta University, a full-service university spearheaded by CII. His book, The Struggle and the Promise: Restoring India’s Potential, was published by HarperCollins in 2022. Follow us on – Website - https://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JaipurLitFest/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JprLitFest Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jaipurlitfest/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/JaipurLitFest #philanthropy #paradox #jaipurliteraturefestival2026