Hinduja Foundation is an important milestone in a journey in humanitarianism which began with the philanthropic work of Paramanand Deepchand Hinduja (1901 – 1971), founder of the Hinduja Group.
Moulded in the entrepreneurial traditions of his birthplace Shikarpur in Sind, at the young age of fourteen Paramanand arrived in Mumbai and with his prodigious drive for taking on challenges, he established a family business which rapidly spread to a number of countries in Asia and beyond.

Even as a young man, Paramanand was keenly aware of the debt he owed to society: the need to transcend commercial activities and extend help to those less fortunate. The spirit of the Nationalist Movement did not leave him untouched and he became an ardent supporter of the freedom struggle. A teetotaler and a vegetarian all his life, he refused to deal in meat, denying himself a huge trading opportunity. He regularly kept a portion of his profits aside for charity. He had great faith in the spirit of progress and believed that good health and education were not only essentials for progress but fundamental rights of every human being. He was spiritual without being fanatical and deeply conscious of the tenet of the Bhagvad Geeta which lauds that charity which is born of a feeling that to help the needy was one’s duty. He used to say, “My Dharma (Duty) is to work, so that I can give.” Paramanand’s wife Jamuna shared her husband’s spirit of humanitarianism and compassion. Deeply spiritual, she inspired those around her with her sheer simplicity and nobility of character.

1944 marked the beginning of structured charity for Paramanand and his family when he established a charitable educational trust, the Shrimati Pahunchbai Deepchand Hinduja Trust, in memory of his mother. Today this trust runs the KPB Hinduja College of Commerce in Mumbai. 1947 witnessed the terrible tragedy of partition of the Indian subcontinent. Many of the uprooted families from West Pakistan came to Mumbai. Paramanand took lead in putting together his and his friends’ resources to set up relief centres, settlements, and medical care units. In 1951 he pooled resources and set up an outdoor clinic in Mumbai which developed into the P. D. Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, an ultramodern tertiary care centre of international repute.

With Paramanand’s inspiration was founded in 1968 the Hinduja Foundation, a public charitable trust which has a broad spectrum of charitable objectives. As more concrete steps were under way to implement his progressive ideas, in 1971 Paramanand Hinduja passed away. But he left behind a committed band of institutions and enterprises deeply conscious of their social responsibility, and a family brought up to believe that philanthropy is an honourable reward of business.

This legacy is carried forward under the aegis of the Hinduja Foundation which works in tandem with Hinduja Foundations established in the UK and the USA. Together they form an integral part of the Hinduja Group and strive to achieve their goals by creating socially responsible institutions; working jointly with other institutions of repute and by supporting deserving NGOs working for similar objectives. The other trusts established by Parmanand and activities inspired by him are dear to the Foundation which acts as the coordinating and guiding body, lending a helping hand wherever necessary.The Group companies have, over the years, developed a symbiotic relationship with the Foundation and their backing is an unfailing source of support in fulfilling the dreams of the founder.

Drawing inspiration from the founder, the Hinduja Foundation believes that philanthropy, a sacred social responsibility of all enterprise, is worthier when it encourages self help and sets an example for the younger generations. Srichand P. Hinduja, Chairman of the Hinduja Group, leads the Foundation. “Our aim,” he says, “is to build bridges between India and the world, between the past and the present, between generations that are and generations to come.”

The Foundation’s core objectives are:

Education

Arts, Culture and Interfaith Understanding

Social Welfare

Sports


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