When Azim Premji decided to start a philanthropic foundation back in 1999, it was not the result of any a-ha moment. The intention to give back to society was fixed in his mind as a child, seeing his father’s upright actions and the dedication with which his doctor mother ran a children’s charitable hospital. Premji would have chosen to work for an international development organisation but for his father’s untimely death in 1967, following which he dropped out of Stanford to manage the family business. If his transformation of his father’s vegetable oil company into a software services behemoth is the stuff legends are made of, his philanthropy is just as noteworthy. Premji has committed $5 billion of his personal wealth to the Azim Premji Foundation and last year became the first Indian to sign the Giving Pledge, committing the bulk of his wealth to philanthropy. In this interview, Premji explains why giving is all about having the right mindset.