The Malkani family made a fortune building one of the country's first online travel agencies.

Now, as India's wealth continues to expand, the Malkanis join a growing number of successful Indian entrepreneurs blazing another trail: charitable giving.

"We've been so blessed in our lives to benefit. We wanted to give back," said Anjal Malkani, whose husband helped her family start the business.

The philanthropic mood extends to some of India's biggest corporations, many of them IT companies at the forefront of India's boom.

India has a long tradition of giving, and all major religions here – Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism – see charity as a cornerstone of a noble, happy life. Wealthy families have long built wells and schools in their native villages, and even the poorest Indians leave a rupee coin at a temple or mosque.

But organized, large-scale giving by wealthy Indians and corporations has only recently become common as India's economy soars ahead.

"Old money really looked at alleviating poverty and community development – largely at factory sites – by providing services and facilities to their workers," said Priya Viswanath, a philanthropy expert. "New money giving is really about empowerment."

(READ the story at Washington Post)