Not Bill Gates, It's Jamsetji Tata Who Is Philanthropist Of The Century

Jamsetji Tata, the founder of what has now become a group spanning interests from salt to software, is ahead of others like Bill Gates and his now-estranged wife Melinda who have donated USD 74.6 billion

Indian industry's doyen Jamsetji Tata has emerged as the biggest philanthropist globally in the last century by donating USD 102 billion, as per a list of top-50 givers prepared by Hurun Report and EdelGive Foundation. Jamsetji Tata, the founder of what has now become a group spanning interests from salt to software, is ahead of others like Bill Gates and his now-estranged wife Melinda who have donated USD 74.6 billion, Warren Buffet (USD 37.4 billion), George Soros (USD 34.8 billion) and John D Rockefeller (USD 26.8 billion), the list showed. "Whilst American and European philanthropists may have dominated the thinking of philanthropy over the last century, Jamsetji Tata, founder of India's Tata Group, is the world's biggest philanthropist," Rupert Hoogewerf, the chairman and chief researcher at Hurun, told reporters. Setting aside two-thirds of ownership to trusts engaged in doing good in various areas including education and healthcare has helped Tatas achieve the top spot in giving, he said, adding that Jamsetji Tata's giving started in 1892 itself.