All in the family! When Uday Kotak and Pallavi gave back to alma mater, Columbia University

It's not unusual for wealthy Indian families to give back to their alma mater. And one such is the substantial grant contributed by Uday Kotak and his wife Pallavi to Columbia Global Centres, a part of Columbia University. However, the fact that Pallavi graduated from the university's School of International and Public Affairs in 1984 is just one reason.

At the recent lecture series named in honour of the Kotak family at the varsity, Jagdish Bhagwati (professor of economics and law), who was introducing the guest speaker, told the audience about another connection. "My wife (Padma) raised Mrs Kotak. She's like a daughter to us. That's part of the reason why we have managed to get this largesse from them," he said. Family connections bind in unexpected ways.