Ramasubramanian
Corporate Social Responsibility is a management tool that stems from the prevalent management practices developed largely in the western world. CSR often is a step in the corporate process through which the corporate houses try to balance the civil society opinion or the public consciousness regarding the damage that is being inflicted by the corporations’ work on the society, environment in particular. The need to satisfy some ethical scrutiny in an otherwise politically uncontrolled and unregulated expansion by the corporations in the western world (particularly since the crumbling of the Berlin wall) may find CSR as an accepted mechanisms.
The challenges in the Indian context for CSR is that the ethical base of the Indian psyche is rooted in more rigorous, diverse and localized Dharmic traditions. Both western science and its interpretation of human psyche suffer from an anthropomorphic limitation. Both share common hypothesis that is limited at some point in time by a monotheistic church.
The duality and diversity that are part of the Dharmic mindset and Indian continent are not part of the western understanding. Unlike Europe where a poor continent that invaded unknown lands for wealth accumulation had to have a Papal decree for its aggrandizements, in India and the nations governed by the Dharmic traditions, the ethical systems were independent of trade and never needed to short sell themselves for economic expansions.
The failure of the Church in Europe to control its commerce had resulted in the most violent wars known to humanity, the most heinous crimes that can be committed in pursuit of personal greed by individuals and nations and the Church being co-opted through a small contribution. In India, historically the dharmic traditions have controlled the expansion of individual greed through an independent power centre that challenged neither the political nor the economical power of the day, however silently reminded it of the existence of an ethical root that was common across the land and which could mobilize millions. The most visible symbol in the previous century was Gandhi, who neither held any political position nor had any wealth, but could use his ethical authority to mobilize millions and de-colonize a continent.
Dharmic traditions demand a better interrogation of corporate objectives and their output. In the Dharmic traditions, the personal aggrandizement of wealth is not to be abhorred, however, uncontrolled greed is2 . India has had a long history of very wealthy communities and families. In the Dharminc tradition, a wealthy person is portrayed as a Trustee or keeper of wealth for the welfare of the humanity at large and as part of his responsibility, he is granted a few privileges.
Also, the tradition of voluntary labor or saving is not enjoined to the idea of investment or enjoyment in future, it is for the long term benefit of humanity3 . There are residues found of this value system even today in India in organizations and institutions managed by traditionally wealthy communities.
Perception of greedy tendencies of corporate houses in the public mind cannot be justified through a simplistic gesture such as CSR in the Dharmic environment of India. Hence the need to explore and articulate a Dharmic meaning, that emanates from the understanding of the Indian psyche through the Dharmic route has to be provided. This would serve an immediate goal of providing a framework for CSR for global corporate houses looking at expanding their CSR programmes in India.
The frontier mentality that drives the commerce and the corporations across the world have been for long a derivative of the Asuric tendencies of a science that were in turn derived for its survival by a civilization at a different age and time. However, with the changed situation that civilization is in no shape to go back and question its fundamental tenets as many of these have been made sacrament, it is left to other civilizations with different roots and different perceptions of science and theology to take this move forward.
Its time for Dharmic traditions to express themselves in terms of Corporate social responsibility. Today the church in the western world is governed by the limits that are defined by commerce. Commerce also has overtaken and defined the limits of scientific pursuit. Such science that has been perpetuated has been rather violent, perhaps in the Indian Dharmic sense, it may be called Asuric4 science.
The outcome of the Asuric science will be Asuric in nature - violent, greedy and self-perpetuating as depicted in the Hindu-Buddhist mythology. Hence, the science of human psyche that has guided the development of management techniques cannot be anything by Asuric. So, the management of western corporate houses often seem to have greedy expansion plans at the cost of the planet and humanity at large.
Corporate Social Responsibility has not found many takers in India. Corporate house that have adopted CSR programmes, do not have them very high in their priority. Understandably so, as the corporate houses in India have the advantage of being in an environment where there is a far superior Dharmic tradition.
Dharmic here denotes the Hindu-Buddhist tradition of ‘dharma’ which means the sense of right action that is neither decreed by religion nor by any governance except that of an individual’s sense of what is right and what is wrong. This sense of dharma is unique to the Hindu-Buddhist traditions and have various meanings.
1 In the Buddhist meaning Dharma denotes the right path as prescribed by Buddha, in the Hindu tradition, it is the sense of righteousness as practiced by individual community, village society or by an individual or sect.
2 Well articulated by Gandhi, “there is enough for every man’s need, but, not for his greed”
3 The presence of large number of charitable institutions much before the arrival of the Christian missionaries and the creation of large number of water tanks in dry regions, temples of superior architecture in the regions where there were large human settlement, etc are standing examples even today.
4 This term was first proposed and expounded by Dr. Sunil Sahasrabuddey in his seminal work, “Gandhi’s Challenge to Modern Science”, in which he brilliantly portrays Gandhiji and his engagement with modernity, particularly Science. (CRBiz March 2007)
Corporate Social Responsibility is a management tool that stems from the prevalent management practices developed largely in the western world. CSR often is a step in the corporate process through which the corporate houses try to balance the civil society opinion or the public consciousness regarding the damage that is being inflicted by the corporations’ work on the society, environment in particular. The need to satisfy some ethical scrutiny in an otherwise politically uncontrolled and unregulated expansion by the corporations in the western world (particularly since the crumbling of the Berlin wall) may find CSR as an accepted mechanisms.
The challenges in the Indian context for CSR is that the ethical base of the Indian psyche is rooted in more rigorous, diverse and localized Dharmic traditions. Both western science and its interpretation of human psyche suffer from an anthropomorphic limitation. Both share common hypothesis that is limited at some point in time by a monotheistic church.
The duality and diversity that are part of the Dharmic mindset and Indian continent are not part of the western understanding. Unlike Europe where a poor continent that invaded unknown lands for wealth accumulation had to have a Papal decree for its aggrandizements, in India and the nations governed by the Dharmic traditions, the ethical systems were independent of trade and never needed to short sell themselves for economic expansions.
The failure of the Church in Europe to control its commerce had resulted in the most violent wars known to humanity, the most heinous crimes that can be committed in pursuit of personal greed by individuals and nations and the Church being co-opted through a small contribution. In India, historically the dharmic traditions have controlled the expansion of individual greed through an independent power centre that challenged neither the political nor the economical power of the day, however silently reminded it of the existence of an ethical root that was common across the land and which could mobilize millions. The most visible symbol in the previous century was Gandhi, who neither held any political position nor had any wealth, but could use his ethical authority to mobilize millions and de-colonize a continent.
Dharmic traditions demand a better interrogation of corporate objectives and their output. In the Dharmic traditions, the personal aggrandizement of wealth is not to be abhorred, however, uncontrolled greed is2 . India has had a long history of very wealthy communities and families. In the Dharminc tradition, a wealthy person is portrayed as a Trustee or keeper of wealth for the welfare of the humanity at large and as part of his responsibility, he is granted a few privileges.
Also, the tradition of voluntary labor or saving is not enjoined to the idea of investment or enjoyment in future, it is for the long term benefit of humanity3 . There are residues found of this value system even today in India in organizations and institutions managed by traditionally wealthy communities.
Perception of greedy tendencies of corporate houses in the public mind cannot be justified through a simplistic gesture such as CSR in the Dharmic environment of India. Hence the need to explore and articulate a Dharmic meaning, that emanates from the understanding of the Indian psyche through the Dharmic route has to be provided. This would serve an immediate goal of providing a framework for CSR for global corporate houses looking at expanding their CSR programmes in India.
The frontier mentality that drives the commerce and the corporations across the world have been for long a derivative of the Asuric tendencies of a science that were in turn derived for its survival by a civilization at a different age and time. However, with the changed situation that civilization is in no shape to go back and question its fundamental tenets as many of these have been made sacrament, it is left to other civilizations with different roots and different perceptions of science and theology to take this move forward.
Its time for Dharmic traditions to express themselves in terms of Corporate social responsibility. Today the church in the western world is governed by the limits that are defined by commerce. Commerce also has overtaken and defined the limits of scientific pursuit. Such science that has been perpetuated has been rather violent, perhaps in the Indian Dharmic sense, it may be called Asuric4 science.
The outcome of the Asuric science will be Asuric in nature - violent, greedy and self-perpetuating as depicted in the Hindu-Buddhist mythology. Hence, the science of human psyche that has guided the development of management techniques cannot be anything by Asuric. So, the management of western corporate houses often seem to have greedy expansion plans at the cost of the planet and humanity at large.
Corporate Social Responsibility has not found many takers in India. Corporate house that have adopted CSR programmes, do not have them very high in their priority. Understandably so, as the corporate houses in India have the advantage of being in an environment where there is a far superior Dharmic tradition.
Dharmic here denotes the Hindu-Buddhist tradition of ‘dharma’ which means the sense of right action that is neither decreed by religion nor by any governance except that of an individual’s sense of what is right and what is wrong. This sense of dharma is unique to the Hindu-Buddhist traditions and have various meanings.
1 In the Buddhist meaning Dharma denotes the right path as prescribed by Buddha, in the Hindu tradition, it is the sense of righteousness as practiced by individual community, village society or by an individual or sect.
2 Well articulated by Gandhi, “there is enough for every man’s need, but, not for his greed”
3 The presence of large number of charitable institutions much before the arrival of the Christian missionaries and the creation of large number of water tanks in dry regions, temples of superior architecture in the regions where there were large human settlement, etc are standing examples even today.
4 This term was first proposed and expounded by Dr. Sunil Sahasrabuddey in his seminal work, “Gandhi’s Challenge to Modern Science”, in which he brilliantly portrays Gandhiji and his engagement with modernity, particularly Science. (CRBiz March 2007)
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