Corporate Social Responsibilities

I am fortunate to be associated with Vijay Nirman Co Pvt Ltd, a highly reputed construction company for its top quality work, timely execution of big projects and their manifold philanthropic activities. I head their Corporate Social Responsibilities section.

There is something unique about the CSR projects that Vijay Nirman Co Pvt Ltd have undertaken for the following reasons:

  1. There is a spontaneous involvement of many of the staff members prompted by a nobility of intent
  2. They are done with enthusiasm but silently
  3. Much care is taken to ensure continuation of the initiative taken and to avoid an one time ‘show’
  4. We are also keen about creating self employment opportunities wherever possible

Our CSR activities can be broadly classified into three categories:

  1. Awakening the spirit of Citizenship
  2. Spreading environmental awareness
  3. Promoting culture through fine arts

 

Awakening the spirit of Citizenship

As a society we have collapsed and every aspect of our life has become corrupt. No one raises his voice against any injustice. No one is prepared to record his protest against the numerous commissions and omissions of the administration. No one thinks beyond his skin and hence, no one reacts till his very skin burns. The plethora of problems that constrict the throat of the modern Indian society is a proof of a greater malaise called the lack of citizenship.

We want to awaken this vital spirit at least in our beautiful city. Our focus is on the youth not because the elder generation is beyond reform but because of an amazing fact that they constitute 50% of the present Indian society.

As a first step, we brought the Let’s Vote idea from Hyderabad and once we moved in, it has become a movement. We called out to people, at short notice to join us in a procession wherein all would take an oath to exercise their basic right and duty, i.e., casting their vote. On 5th April, 2009, on a bright Sunday evening, seven thousand men and women, coming from different walks of life including students, housewives, senior citizens, executives, doctors, journalists and so on made a brisk and silent walk carrying placards urging the people to vote.

We followed it up by creating a window in the office for people to record their grievances about voter id cards. We released ads in the newspapers to create awareness before and after the procession. The response has been spontaneous. We took Let’s Vote to Bengaluru and Mysore and sponsored the events. In all, we pumped in about seven lakhs of rupees in this important venture. You can see the pics of Vizag and Bengaluru events in the gallery section.

We are planning to open Students Citizenship Forum in many educational institutions wherein guest lectures by eminent experts will address them. Slowly the students will be galvanized into a force to reckon with who would function as awakened citizens.

 

Environmental Issue

Global warming is no more a threat but a catastrophic reality. Human madness has reached an all time high which has resulted in forests and wildlife reduced to memory, alarming pollution levels and a callous attitude towards the calamity. We wanted to take up a three-fold approach of study, educate and create models.

  1. We studied the public-private partnership model that is functioning at Seethammadhara, covering ten wards. Here is a classic case of apathy and nepotism of the Municipal Corporation that is destroying the very idea which it had conceived for a good purpose!!
  2. We visited and studied the temple and bus stand models in Vellore, the model zero-waste home-cum-school of Sri Indrakumar of Pammal, the Mudichur Community Model, the amazing story of a barren land becoming a green far due to efforts of an individual caaled Sri natesan of karanodai, the enthusiastic effort of Sri Ramanathan in making a beautiful documentary on global warming for educating the student community, Meena’s paper bags from recycled paper, Satish’s bio digestives and eco friendly lamps and held several discussions with Si M B Nirmal of Exnora International and also attended his innovative workshop on the 7th Sense
  3. By way of implementation, we have made the arrangements for proper rain harvesting in Andhra university’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. We are chalking our plans to create roof gardens using eco friendly material on our office roof top, Ghosalas in two farms in Bhimili, and similar activities at least in a dozen places. We summoned an expert Sri C Srinivasan from Vellore for an on the spot study and valuable suggestions.
  4. We are planning to take up Andhra University campus in a big way and involve the student community in the project. We have held preliminary discussions with Sri Sathyanarayana, Vice Chancellor.
  5. Even in our office, from conserving energy to avoiding plastic bags we are upholding the spirit of environmental awareness

 

Promoting Fine Arts

We believe that India has a very specific character which can be called culture. We are aware that Indian fine arts are the backbone of this culture which has survived millennia. We provide platforms for the veterans and the budding artists alike to display their artistic talent. Recently, we had arranged for an interaction between Smt Ananda Shankar, a danseuse who has been fighting her terminal illness through her will and enthusiasm, which her art has given her, with the HSBC group.

In order to achieve focus and maximum audience, we are bringing together all the different cultural organizations in sharing the responsibilities of a single event. Thus, when we had organized three massive events, performances by Dr M Balamurali Krishna, Violin Maestro L Subrahmanyam and Whistle Wizard Sivaprasad, we had the maximum audience that Vizag had ever seen in such events.

We have a centralized musical system which keeps playing classical music, chanting of some manrtras and semi classical devotional hymns.

We are aware that we have just made a beginning. We are also aware that we have begun well.