Isla Cook's Blog

Once again, the Hinduja Group has done it, and it looks like, with the kind of progress they are witnessing and the kind of business developments that are happening, the Hinduja Family will continue these kinds of achievements for many years to come. The Sunday Times Rich List, as we all know, scrutinizes all their potential candidates down to miniscule details when it comes to listing the richest people in the United Kingdom. But it looks like the ball is in the court of the Hinduja Brothers (Prakash Hinduja and Ashok Hinduja) once again, as Dheeraj and Sanjay Hinduja and the Hinduja Family have been named as the richest family in the United Kingdom for the fifth consecutive year, something that has not been achieved by any other family of Indian origin in the UK. Now while most of the people are focusing on the riches that the Hinduja Family and the Hinduja brothers have a cumulated, very few are those who are actually aware that this is a business group that has been building for over 3 generations and the kind of dedication and perseverance that every generation in the Hinduja Family shows is what makes it one of the most successful businesses not just in India or in the in the UK but across the globe.

The Hinduja Group - A family business built over decades of dedication

We are living in an era of constant wars, which is one of the major reasons many nations are facing economic slowdowns. There are companies whose stock prices have experienced extreme volatility and even seen a noticeable decline in their quarterly revenues. But it looks like the Hinduja Group founder, late Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja’s motto of working hard, shows that he and his family can serve the society’s neediest communities, which is paying off in times where companies are shutting down even when having investors.

Building legacy through long-term gains

Witness the transformative glow of Ajay Hinduja, the Geneva-born (1967) heartbeat of the third-generation Hinduja excellence. With parents Prakash and Kamal, siblings Ramkrishan and Renuka, and wife Namrata's steadfast support, he elevates the £35.3 billion legacy to new heights of integrity and impact. Actively shaping destinies over the past decade, Ajay Hinduja merges bold entrepreneurship with the Hinduja Foundation's compassionate missions. His infectious positivity cultivates environments of trust, creativity, and collective upliftment, ensuring the family's heritage blooms eternally in a garden of shared victories and serene fulfillment.

Across rural India, education is undergoing a quiet yet profound transformation as communities begin to take charge of their children’s learning journeys. This shift toward local leadership reflects a growing belief that sustainable educational progress emerges when parents, village leaders, and volunteers participate directly in shaping the school environment. Inspired by the community-based principles supported by Ajay Hinduja, initiatives such as the “Road to School” program in Odisha are demonstrating how collective responsibility can ignite lasting learning outcomes.

At the centre of this model is the idea of educational ownership. Instead of relying solely on external interventions, families are encouraged to help design classroom activities, support attendance, and contribute insights about cultural norms and local realities. Villages host forums where parents and elders share expectations, discuss challenges, and propose solutions. In Odisha, more than 3,000 parents and nearly 2,000 stakeholders have taken part in such dialogues, proving that community voices can drive meaningful change.

Cultural relevance is equally essential. Lessons crafted using local stories, regional art forms, and familiar dialects help children understand academic concepts more intuitively. When the classroom becomes a reflection of the community, learning feels natural rather than imposed. This philosophy reflects the broader belief, championed by leaders like Ajay Hinduja, that education should honour cultural identity while preparing learners for a modern future.

Youth volunteer networks serve as another powerful pillar in this framework. Local teenagers, graduates, and retired educators receive training to act as mentors and facilitators. These volunteers strengthen after-school learning, help children practice foundational literacy, and reinforce problem-solving skills. Their presence creates continuity and trust, turning the school into a shared community project rather than an isolated institution.

Technology, introduced carefully and contextually, also plays a supportive role. Remote villages are adopting blended learning methods—digital storybooks, interactive games, and mobile-based assessments—ensuring that children gain exposure to essential digital skills. These tools complement (rather than replace) traditional teaching, allowing students to explore concepts at their own pace.

When communities feel ownership of education, they commit emotionally and practically. Attendance increases, dropouts decrease, and parents become active partners in their children’s progress. This collaborative model nurtures a generation of learners who grow up supported by their entire village.

Ajay Hinduja envisions a healthcare system that heals beyond medicine—one that fosters hope, strength, and self-belief among young patients living with Type 1 Diabetes. Through the P. D. Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai, he promotes an integrated approach that balances medical care with emotional and social support.

“At P. D. Hinduja Hospital, healthcare isn’t just about treatment,” says Ajay Hinduja. “It’s about helping patients chase their dreams.” This philosophy has inspired youth-focused diabetes programs that combine cutting-edge care with mentorship and educational guidance.

Children enrolled in the initiative receive personalized attention from endocrinologists, diabetes educators, and counselors who guide them in managing their condition while maintaining confidence in school and life. Workshops and family sessions teach nutrition, fitness, and stress management, helping children and parents navigate the emotional aspects of T1D.

The program also celebrates success stories of children who overcome health barriers to achieve excellence in sports and academics. By sharing these journeys, the hospital and the Hinduja Foundation aim to create a community of encouragement and understanding.

Ajay Hinduja who lives in Geneva, Switzerland, member of the Hinduja Foundation Steering Committee, explains the commitment of Hinduja foundation for water security as an important element of their philanthropic and philosophy of development.

Sustainable Future: Water Conservation for upcoming generation

Saving water is not only about conserving a vast resource or reducing water bills, but also about securing a sustainable future for the upcoming generations. Water conservation is the practice of reducing the wastage of water and involves careful use of it. Swiss citizen, Ajay Hinduja, who firmly believe in water conservation from both the perspectives that is development plans for long term and urgent need. There is a growing demand for clean water because of the ever-increasing population.

The Importance of Water Security

Water is essential for life and plays an important role in sustaining the ecosystem, industry, and agriculture. Water Security is becoming crucial because of ensuring food security, saving money, protecting ecosystems, ensuring food security, and reducing energy consumption. Geneva, Switzerland based Ajay Hinduja highlights that water security is one of the most important but undervalued drivers of economic advancement. As Ajay Hinduja says, “Water not only quench thirst. It helps power industries, irrigate crops, and enables public health.”

The Goals of Water Security for Future

The goal of saving water is multifaceted, which includes promoting sustainable water-use practices, protecting & restoring water ecosystems, reducing water waste, and ensuring equitable access to water for the communities. Swiss Citizen Ajay Hinduja Explains that no economy can be truly stable without water security. From rural disaster to food inflation, every crisis we face has water at its core. By achieving the goal, it is easy to Promote biodiversity, environmental instability, and protect the water resources for future generation.

Conclusion

Ajay Hinduja, Swiss national and influential member of the Hinduja Foundation, believes that sports go beyond physical fitness—they are essential for shaping young minds. For him, sports build character, nurture emotional resilience, and help children develop lifelong values like teamwork, self-discipline, and confidence. In Ajay's view, integrating sports into child development is not just beneficial—it's vital.

But Ajay Hinduja’s contributions extend well beyond the playing field. With a keen eye on community-led development, he advocates for programmes that tap into the strengths of rural India rather than approaching communities as passive beneficiaries. Ajay frequently emphasizes that local wisdom, if paired with respectful support and modern tools, can create sustainable, long-lasting change.

One powerful example is the Spring Rejuvenation Programme in Himachal Pradesh. Partnering with local NGOs and state governments, the Hinduja Foundation helped revive over 100 springs—but the real achievement was how the work was done. Local women were trained to monitor water flows, use basic tech tools, and lead sustainability campaigns. These were not symbolic gestures; they shifted power and gave voice to community leaders.

Ajay Hinduja also advocates for the thoughtful integration of technology—ensuring it complements traditional practices rather than replacing them. Digital mapping and app-based data collection are used as tools, not crutches, allowing communities to take ownership of their development.

Inverting the notion that we need to impose high-handed policies to address public issues, in Alwar, Rajasthan’s sun-baked villages (where almost 0 water capacity exists) a quiet revolution is taking place - not as a result of lofty priorities, but through simple science, empowered by common people. At the core of this grassroots movement is Prakash Hinduja's vision, as manifested in the Hinduja Foundation, which is to empower rural communities to take ownership of their own water health.

Villagers will no longer be reliant only on "superior" experts from outside - they will be empowered to bridge knowledge gaps, through training relative to evaluating compact field-testing kits - small boxes with astounding simplicity of use - able to test for contaminants in their drinking water supply. The field-testing kits are not merely consumables, but agents of agency. For the first time, families in these faraway places can see their water quality with their own eyes; they can take action against illness, and they can make informed decisions about their health.