The US-based Indian-origin executive Mahesh Samdani has donated US$1 million to the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, where he studied as part of the 1986 batch, to establish a scholarship endowment that will support deserving young women in their educational pursuits.
Made jointly with his wife Purva Ladha, the contribution will create the Smt. Kaushaliya Devi Samdani Scholarship Endowment, named in memory of Samdani’s mother. The endowment reflects not just a financial contribution, but a belief system that places education at the heart of social mobility and transformation.
Supporting women through education
The scholarship will fund merit-cum-need-based financial aid for academically strong female students who demonstrate genuine financial need. Administered under BITS Pilani’s existing and transparent scholarship framework, the endowment ensures that selection remains fair, structured, and merit-driven.
According to the institute, the scholarships will be awarded annually starting from the 2026–27 academic year, offering sustained support rather than one-time assistance. The aim is to remove financial constraints that often prevent talented young women from pursuing higher education at one of India’s most prestigious institutions.
Samdani articulated this philosophy succinctly, saying, “We firmly believe that educating one student uplifts an entire family. We hope these scholarships will create a lasting impact, supporting not just individual aspirations but also strengthening families and shaping opportunities by removing financial constraints.”
A longstanding bond with BITS Pilani
While the donation is significant in scale, it is part of a much longer relationship between Samdani and BITS Pilani. Over the years, he has remained closely associated with the institute, contributing to student placement efforts, supporting the Practice School programme, and engaging with students through lectures and interactions focused on management education.
This sustained involvement exemplifies that the endowment is not an isolated act of philanthropy, but a continuation of an enduring alumni connection that led him to give back to the institution that shaped his early professional foundation.
BITS Pilani has noted that the Samdani endowment also contributes to its broader $100 million Endowment Fund, a long-term initiative aimed at strengthening faculty excellence, expanding research capacity, supporting student scholarships, and enhancing global engagement.
A legacy beyond numbers
Currently serving as Managing Director at JPMorgan Chase in New York, where he has spent over 17 years in senior leadership roles, Mahesh Samdani’s journey has come full circle from a BITS Pilani student to a global executive investing in the future of young women of his alma mater. In honouring his mother’s memory through education, Samdani is helping transform lives, families, and futures.
