Vihaan 11.0: Udyam’s flagship CSR and social impact conclave to foster business innovation and grassroots change
Bangalore :Udyam, the CSR committee of NMIMS Bengaluru, hosted its flagship CSR and social impact conclave, Vihaan 11.0, on 1st March 2025. This year’s theme “Co-Creating Change – Bridging Business Innovation and Grassroots Impact,” brought together corporate CSR leaders, NGOs, and students to dialogue on collaborating for meaningful impact. started with a keynote speech and followed by insightful panel discussion.
Vihaan 11.0 served as a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation, enabling NGOs and businesses to grow using sustainable means. Discussions at this event explore how corporations, along with grassroots organisations can align their individual objectives to maximise social impact. As NGOs are at the forefront of social transition, their participation, on-ground experience, and insights are essential to understand how companies can transform their corporate responsibility into meaningful actions.
This event also helped facilitate partnerships across multiple sectors, including NGO-to-NGO Collaboration, NGO-to-Corporate CSR collaboration, and NGO-to-Educational Institutions collaboration. The event encouraged grassroots organisations to share best practices, bridge the gap between CSR programs and grassroots implementation as well as strengthen academic partnerships to improve social initiatives.
Vihaan 11.0 was privileged to host a distinguished panel of experts. The keynote address was delivered by Dr.Paneesh Rao, Chief Sustainability Officer at LTIMindtree, who emphasised the urgent need for sustainable practices. The panel also featured Sudeepta Banerjee, AVP (South), IIM Endowment Fund; NazrulHaque, Mentor and Faculty, Social Enterprise Cell, Azim Premji Foundation; Aishwarya Kamath, DKMS Asia, and Rajesh Kumar, Art of Living,
Faculty mentors of the Udyam committee also shared their perspectives. Prof. Janaki Anant, from Business Strategy and Information Systems, highlighted the educational institutions as knowledge hubs that bridge academia, industry, and NGOs, and act as catalysts for change. She emphasised, “The real test of CSR, NGO, and education partnerships is not what happens in this forum today, but what sustains beyond it.”
Dr.Sreeleakha P, Associate Professor, HR & OB, emphasised that co-creating means co-existing. She shared, “At NMIMS Bengaluru we have implemented various measures to address societal disparities. One of these initiatives involves collaborating with different NGOs and corporations to provide our students with volunteer opportunities to assist those in need, thus providing a sense of empathy and responsibility in our future managers.”
Vihaan 11.0 reaffirms Udyam’s commitment to innovation, collaboration, and meaningful social change, ensuring that corporate responsibility extends beyond discussions into real-world impact.
