Indian-origin philanthropist Anil Kochhar announced he would pay the education loan of 176 graduate students of NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles where his father studied.
Indian-American philanthropist Anil Kochhar who was the speaker at the graduation ceremony of North Carolina State University Wilson College of Textiles on May 8, surprised the 176 graduates by announcing that he and his wife would pay their education loan so that the graduates can freely chase their dreams without worrying about money.“It is my privilege to announce today that, in honor of my father Prakash Chand Kochhar, Marilyn and I are providing a graduation gift to cover all the final-year education loans incurred by Wilson College graduates during the 2025–26 academic year,” Kochhar said as he made the announcement. The hall erupted in cheers.“Marilyn and I hope that all of you leave Reynolds Coliseum today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives you’ve worked so hard to achieve.”“Eighty years ago, a young man (Anil Kochhar’s father) traveled thousands of miles from India to Raleigh with little more than hope and determination. He could not have known where that journey would lead. He could not have imagined the life it would create, or that one day his son would stand here speaking to a graduating class at the very institution that welcomed him,” Anil Kochhar shared.“My father could not have imagined this moment. Not just me standing here, but all of you sitting here,” Kochhar said. “A new generation, shaped by a different world, but connected by the same spirit of possibility that brought him here decades ago. And that’s what today represents.”
Who was Anil Kochhar’s father?
Prakash Chand Kochhar was born in Punjab, India and was the second Indian student to enrol at the Wilson College of Textiles — in 1946. In 1950, he earned his bachelor’s, master’s in 1952 and joined the textile industry. The Kochhar family made US their home and paid back to the community.A year after Prakash Chand Kochhar’s death in 1985, his wife, whom he met at the North Carolina college, Christine Hayes Kochhar, took the initiative to create the Prakash Chand Kochhar Memorial Textile Scholarship for the university.Anil Kochhar and his wife Marilyn took forward the legacy and started three gifts for the university.
- The Prakash Chand Kochhar Dean’s Chair Endowment, to provide support for the dean and/or general resources for the college.
- The Prakash Chand Kochhar Endowed Faculty fund, to provide awards for five-year terms and provide funding for activities such as recruitment, support for students working with faculty members, professional development, travel and research.
- The Prakash Chand Kochhar Graduate Support Endowment, to provide graduate students in the Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science with support for activities like research, travel and conference attendance.
After Anil Kochhar’s surprise announcement, the college told Axios it is calculating the total value of the gift and will be working through the details with campus offices.
