“I must begin by saying that I hail from a community that has a rich tradition of giving back and contributing to society. We have been known to take up the cause of nation building quite passionately. Therefore, the sentiment of CSR was perhaps instilled in me by my forefathers and ancestors, much before I actually started practicing it. Right from childhood, I have often experienced so many instances of large heartedness, even when wallets were light.
As I was growing up, I faced several hurdles and challenges but they did not deter me from dreaming big. I find facing challenges to be exciting and the loss of the family wealth bequeathed a firm determination in me to recover the losses and make it even bigger.
Our group ‘Infinity’ today enjoys a highly credible reputation and has a roster of some well-delivered path breaking, pioneering projects under its belt. Infinity takes Corporate Social Responsibility very seriously. To this effect, we have taken up the cause and mission of expanding the opportunity of education for meritorious students through Anant. We have also been long-standing partners and supporters of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, The Jaipur Foot, Vedanta Academy, Eye Care & Research Centre, Institute of Neurosciences, Kolkata, Manovikas Kendra, National Academy of Environment, Matri Bhavan and so on.
We are also building a first-of-its-kind, senior citizens’ home at Ibiza Club, Kolkata, called ‘Jagriti Dham’. A brief snapshot of some of our initiatives:
Anant Education Initiative
Anant Education Initiative, a merit scholarship programme, is an initiative of The Infinity Group, aimed at helping underprivileged but meritorious students who have excelled in their Madhyamik and Higher Secondary exams (West Bengal Board of Secondary Education) to pursue higher education of their choice. The scholarship programme commenced in March 2011.
Jagriti Dham
Spread over 2 acres, Jagriti Dham is an initiative undertaken by us to create comfortable, eco-friendly homes for senior citizens with complete elder care and lifestyle facilities. We truly believe that Jagriti Dham can be their Gold Age Home! It is being conceived as a cozy nest in lush green, serene, eco-friendly surroundings, an abode of peace and joy, just 15 km from Kolkata.
Association with The Aakshaya Patra Foundation:
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world’s largest non-profit, nongovernment organization that runs midday meal programmes in schools across India. The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been feeding 1,402,393 children in 10,661 schools in 23 locations in 10 states in India. Akshaya Patra incentivizes the marginalized children to attend school, thereby ensuring their education. We work closely with the Akshaya Patra Foundation and I am associated with Akshaya Patra as their Vice Chairman on their global advisory board and as a Trustee on their London Board. Our group offers its services towards Akshaya Patra by providing advisory services and conducting fund-raiser programmes.
Krishna Bhumi
Infinity Group strongly believes in the immortal teachings of Lord Krishna. In fact, as the world around us continues to get more complicated and challenging, His teachings continue to show us the path and His words remain timeless. The Vrindavan Mathura-Braj is one such circuit, where Krishna followers, thinkers and Krishna Bhumi seekers from all over the world, from every possible walk of life come visiting every year. Vrindavan is considered one of the holiest towns of the world and is steeped in folklore and tradition.
Our project, Krishna Bhumi, coming up in the heart of Vrindavan is an iconic temple township that aims to recreate the magic of Krishna and his many folk tales. The nucleus of Krishna Bhumi is a towering temple: The Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir, which will stand at a height of 700 ft when completed. For us, Krishna Bhumi is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of an iconic development.
At Infinity, we really do not feel that we are obliging anybody by carrying out CSR. In fact, we are only fulfilling our own duty and helping our own lives become more meaningful”.
Ravindra Chamaria
Chairman, Infinity,
Kolkata