Businessman Anand Mahindra gives Harvard $10 million, the largest gift for study of humanities in school history
Harvard University
October 4, 2010
Harvard University announced today (Oct. 4) that Anand Mahindra ’77, M.B.A.’81, has given the University $10 million to support the Humanities Center in honor of his mother, Indira Mahindra. It is the largest gift for the study of humanities in Harvard’s history, and will advance the unique interdisciplinary collaborations led by center director Homi Bhabha. In recognition, the center will be renamed the Mahindra Humanities Center at Harvard.
“This remarkable gift is a significant affirmation of the importance of the humanities and the central place of the liberal arts in the University,” said Drew Faust, president of Harvard University and Lincoln Professor of History. “It comes at a time when it is vital to bring a humane and critical perspective to the urgent questions that confront the world. Anand Mahindra understands the essential role of the humanities in this work, and I am deeply grateful.”
“I am happy to be able to contribute to the cause of the humanities,” said Mahindra. “To address complex problems in an interdependent world, it is vital to encourage the cross-cultural and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas in an international setting. I am proud to be part of the intellectual legacy of India’s contribution to global thinking across the arts, culture, science, and philosophy. I am convinced of the need for incorporating social and humanistic concerns into the core values that inform the world of business and have sought to do so with tremendous support from my peers and colleagues at work and beyond.”
“The tradition of liberal arts education is at the heart of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences,” said Michael D. Smith, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and John H. Finley Jr. Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “The Humanities Center is a showcase for this approach, creating fertile confrontations of perspectives, histories, and frameworks that probe our understanding of the human condition, our world, and ourselves. Anand Mahindra’s understanding of this critical work is exceeded only by the generosity of his support. Under the guidance of Professor Bhabha, this gift will enable the Humanities Center to expand its offerings of critical interdisciplinary research and unique conversations.”
“The Humanities Center’s association with the Mahindra family, renowned for the cosmopolitan ethos of its business ventures in India and abroad, will emphasize the universal value of the humanities in both education and public life,” said Bhabha, who is also the Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities in the Department of English. “The humanities teach us the careful arts of interpretation and extend our understanding of the lives, works, and histories of others. We humanists build communities, not models. Anand Mahindra’s gift will enhance the Humanities Center’s presence as the crossroads of the Harvard community, encouraging the traffic of ideas across the campus and beyond. Our very name now signals the global reach of the humanities.”
