'CSR' emerging as DNA of IT

Knowledge-based industry seeks to include disadvantaged

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a jargon that is increasingly becoming synonymous with many of the IT firms in Bangalore and quite a few of them are focusing on education as a priority. Some of them go so far as to claim that CSR has always been a part of their original philosophy and ideals.

The concept of CSR evolved in the US when oil companies, through their exploration work, caused irreversible damage to the environment and adversely affected neighbourhood communities.

"CSR is not an obligation. It makes good business sense. It derisks the business," said Vijay K Gupta, vice-president, brand, corporate communication and community initiatives, Wipro. Businesses cannot be successful if the community surrounding it is not.

Wipro, says Gupta, believes, "Education is the fundamental enabler of development." Hence, Wipro's "" Wipro Applying Thought in Schools Initiative "" aims to facilitate a movement towards quality in education.

Over the past three years, Wipro Applying Thought in Schools has imparted 2,00,000 hours of training to over 2,800 teachers, school leaders and parents 120 schools nationally impacting over 2,00,000 children.

MindTree Consulting also takes CSR very seriously and focuses on education. Puneet Jetli, general manager "" people function, MindTree Consulting said, "Being in the knowledge industry, we resonated with the need to strengthen the knowledge infrastructure. We felt that this infrastructure is probably the most fragile at the primary education level. Therefore, MindTree decided to concentrate on supporting primary education."

Jetli says, "We believe that given the right opportunity an imaginative mind can deliver extraordinary results. The Visual Identity (logo) of the company was created by Chetan, a student from the Spastic Society of Karnataka, which inspires those who make up the company to create give opportunities for "differently abled" people.

Being Socially Responsible is a 'Core Value' in MindTree. The company coined the acronym 'CLASS' to communicate the Core Values where C stands for being Caring, L stands for Learning, A stands for Achieving, S stands for Sharing and the other S stands for being 'Socially Responsible'.

Aztec Software's vice-president (global human resources) Girish Nair says, "CSR has been one of the principles on which the company was founded." Nair's colleague Arpan Banerjee says: "We wanted to make a start in our little way and spread it all around." The company gives its employees a chance to contribute in cash and/or in service to social causes. About 75 per cent of the employees of the company contribute to the initiatives of Akshara.

The Aztec-Akshara initiative promotes retention in unaided schools by providing mid-day meals, notebooks, school uniforms, teaching aids and interaction with students. The beneficiaries are children of maids, daily-wage labourers, construction workers and such others. In over four years of its existence, Akshara has touched the lives of around 2,000 students in six schools.

Sasken, the telecom software solutions provider, has a 'people first' philosophy and hence gives priority to 'people values'. This has made the company pay attention to the needs of some 'special people' (read spastics among others). The employees of Sasken pooled in money to purchase a special bus for 'special children' to attend school.

Anjan Ghosh, director public affairs, Intel Technology India Pvt Ltd., said, "The company is committed to maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in the communities where we live and work. The focus is primarily on education, environment and community outreach."