India Institute Avantha Chair

Principal Rick Trainor with Sunil Khilnani and Mr Gautam Thapar

King’s India Institute receives £3.5million from Avantha Group

King’s has received a £3.5 million gift from the Indian Avantha Group to endow a Chair that accompanies the Directorship of the India Institute. Professor Sunil Khilnani, Director of the India Institute, will be the first holder of this prestigious new position, responsible for advancing the Institute’s goal of becoming the leading international centre for the study of contemporary India.

A reception was held last night at the Strand campus to celebrate the creation of this new Chair, and to formally thank Avantha Chairman & CEO Mr Gautam Thapar for the gift.

Principal Professor Rick Trainor said: ‘We have been honoured to have recently received this exceptional and transformative gift, which I am delighted to announce this evening. In January we will be launching the India Institute, with a funded endowed Directorship – The Avantha Chair. Tonight we gather to celebrate this landmark post, made possible through the generosity of the Avantha Group and its Chairman Mr Gautam Thapar.’

Professor Sunil Khilnani, Director of the King’s India Institute, said: ‘I am truly delighted that we have received this magnificent gift of support from Gautam Thapar and the Avantha Group. It’s a testament to his own vision and sense that the worlds of thought and practical action have to be closely engaged in defining India’s future. It’s also an endorsement of our own commitment at the India Institute to bring objective research and urgent policy into productive dialogue.

He added: ‘I feel very privileged to be the first holder of the Avantha Chair, and truly grateful to Gautam for his generosity and vision in creating it. It’s a great investment and endorsement of the India Institute at this early stage of its life. Investment of this kind, during these developmental stages of the India Institute is incredibly valuable and we are extremely fortunate to have this leading global corporation on board with what we are trying to achieve through the Institute. I look forward to this being the start of a long partnership and for the Group continuing to be involved as the Institute develops in the coming years.’

The Avantha Group is India’s foremost diversified corporation and has a history of supporting education, community development and healthcare. Gautam Thapar, Chairman & CEO of Avantha, has long been committed to social responsibilities and giving back to society, with involvement across three sectors: education, leadership development and sports.

‘Avantha invests in leaders and institutions, and strongly believes in contemporary relevance as it continues to support pioneering and leading initiatives such as the Avantha Chair at King’s India Institute,’ he said.

‘The Institute’s vision dovetails with our belief that a holistic and nuanced understanding of contemporary India is essential to explore and fruitfully engage with India. It is also vitally important for India to develop new tools, strategies and outlook in its dealings with the international community.’

The India Institute at King’s, which will have its formal launch in January, has been welcoming new staff and students this term. The Institute focuses on India-related activities across a range of academic, cultural and practical disciplines, allowing students to develop an understanding of India in its global context and participate in discussion and debate with academics and leaders from various fields such as government and policy, business, the media and cultural industries. The aim is for students to develop skills to contribute to contemporary India’s human development and international influence, and ultimately to worldwide understanding of India’s changing global role.

The India Institute is one of a network of Global Institutes at King’s, focusing on the cultural, economic and political powers of the 21st century. The King’s Brazil and China Institutes formally launched in 2010 and the newly created Russia Institute will open in 2013.