As Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India continues to evolve beyond statutory compliance, businesses are increasingly recognising that creating meaningful and sustainable social impact requires far more than financial contributions.
The focus is steadily shifting from one-time philanthropic interventions to long-term collaborations that bring together corporates, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), policymakers and local communities to address complex social challenges.
Brand Communion hosted its flagship event, Convergence 2026, with a session titled ‘CSR and Social Work: Building Sustainable Communities Through Collaborative Action’. The panellists are Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, Director, Ekam Nyay Foundation; Malvika Mudgal, Founder, Jagan Foundation; Arun Arora, Head and Director, Strategy & Communications, Chetak Foundation; Dr Anush Gasparyan, President and Co-Founder, RoMana Centre for Women's Rights and Leadership; and Girish Balachandran, Founder, ON PURPOSE. The panel is moderated by Diksha Verma, Communications Manager India & APAC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
Setting the context, Verma reflected on the evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), noting that it has moved beyond supporting good causes to becoming a strategic tool for creating long-term social change. She questioned whether organisations are measuring real impact or merely celebrating good intentions and visibility.
Malvika Mudgal highlighted the critical role grassroots organisations play in translating policy into meaningful action. Citing findings from the National Health and Family Survey, she observed that while public discourse often focuses on positive national indicators, local organisations identify the hidden challenges within the same datasets.
Using maternal health as an example, Mudgal pointed to rising teenage pregnancies in Rajasthan and increasing instances of unnecessary Caesarean sections as issues that require targeted interventions.
She argued that NGOs bridge the gap between policy announcements and on-ground implementation by addressing these overlooked realities.
Speaking about the evolution of CSR, Arun Arora said organisations have shifted from treating social initiatives as acts of quiet philanthropy to embracing transparent, long-term programmes that create measurable community outcomes.
Drawing on Chetak Foundation's work with truck drivers, Arora shared that surveys revealed that 55–60% of commercial drivers had poor eyesight, posing risks to themselves and others on the road.
The Foundation responded with a sustained vision-care programme that not only provides eye examinations and corrective glasses but also works to eliminate the stigma that discourages drivers from seeking medical help.
He stressed that meaningful CSR requires sustained engagement rather than one-time spending to meet compliance obligations.
Addressing workplace inclusion, Dr Anush Gasparyan argued that organisations should view workplace safety and anti-harassment initiatives as strategic investments rather than compliance exercises.
She said legal compliance alone cannot eliminate workplace misconduct if employees lack awareness about acceptable behaviour across diverse cultural contexts.
According to Gasparyan, preventive education, continuous awareness programmes and collaboration between NGOs and corporates are essential to creating psychologically safe workplaces and protecting both employees and organisational reputation.
She also noted that workplace harassment remains a global issue, making awareness-building just as important as legal mechanisms.
Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj drew attention to social causes that often remain outside the spotlight and therefore struggle to attract institutional funding.
Speaking about the work of Ekam Nyay Foundation, she said the organisation supports men facing false accusations, domestic violence and other forms of injustice that receive comparatively little public attention. While acknowledging that brands naturally gravitate towards highly visible causes, Bhardwaj urged corporates to support organisations delivering genuine impact regardless of media visibility.
Sharing an example, she referred to the Delhi screening of the film Bandar, centred on the issue of false rape accusations, where several attendees connected personally with the subject, demonstrating the need for greater recognition of underrepresented issues.
Concluding the discussion, Girish Balachandran challenged organisations to distinguish between measuring visibility and measuring impact.
He argued that while funding announcements and expenditure figures generate attention from media and stakeholders, the true measure of success lies in the change created within communities. He cautioned against "metric substitution", measuring what is easy to count rather than what genuinely matters.
Balachandran proposed two tests for evaluating impact: whether there is credible evidence that an intervention created the claimed outcomes, and whether the beneficiaries themselves would recognise and agree with the way their stories are being represented.
He emphasised that authentic impact reporting must prioritise the experiences of communities over organisational publicity.
Throughout the discussion, the panel agreed that sustainable community development requires deeper collaboration between governments, corporates, NGOs and citizens. Rather than focusing solely on CSR compliance or campaign visibility, the speakers advocated for long-term partnerships, evidence-based interventions and greater support for underserved causes that often remain outside mainstream conversations.
