Creating Enduring Institutions
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CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development
The CII–ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, established by ITC in 2006 in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), continues its endeavours to promote sustainable business practices among Indian enterprises. The Centre is steered by its Advisory Council, led by Mr Y C Deveshwar, Chairman, ITC Limited, and comprises members from industry, government, civil society and institutions, which provides strategic direction to the organisation.
During the year the Centre, in partnership with the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), has set up a country-level network, the IR Lab India, to promote Integrated Reporting (IR). The objective of the IR Lab is to build capacities of companies in India on integrated reporting and to represent concerns of Indian business to the IIRC.
The Centre also hosted the India Business & Biodiversity Initiative (IBBI) with the support of German International Cooperation (GIZ). Launched on the occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22, 2014, the IBBI serves as a national platform of business and its stakeholders for dialogue, sharing and learning, ultimately leading to mainstreaming sustainable management of biological diversity in businesses. The Centre and GIZ have partnered also with CREM, the Netherlands, to build capacity of member companies in biodiversity management.
In addition, at the request of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Centre has drafted a single window clearance form for environment, forests and wildlife clearances with inputs from members of the CII National Committee on Environment as well as top government officials. The Centre also has been engaged with the Cabinet Secretariat's Project Management Group to suggest ways to increase transparency and accountability in the project appraisal process.
The 9th Annual Sustainability Solutions Summit continued its legacy of bringing together thought-and-action leaders from across the globe to discuss and propagate innovative and actionable solutions towards building a more sustainable future. The Centre recognises and rewards the most significant contributions to sustainable development by corporates in the country through the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards. In 2014, the Awards were presented to 27 companies.
The Centre has been building capacities of companies on the new CSR legislation as per the Companies Act 2013. In 2014, the Centre conducted seven open workshops in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Vishakapatnam and Goa. The Centre is also offering services to companies in baseline studies, measurement of human development indictors, and social return on investments.
ITC Sangeet Research Academy
The ITC Sangeet Research Academy (ITC-SRA) is an embodiment of sustained corporate commitment to a priceless national heritage. It is a unique institution - the only gurukul of its kind - that has been at the forefront of promoting the ancient tradition of Hindustani Classical Music. Blending modern-day research methods with the purity of the age old Guru-Shishya tradition, ITC-SRA is recognised as the finest repository of Hindustani Classical Music in terms of musical talent, music education and archives. Producing musicians of stature, it has been a catalyst in ensuring the popularity of Hindustani Classical Music.
Its list of illustrious Gurus includes Vidushi Girija Devi, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta, Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty, Pandit Arun Bhaduri, Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan, Pandit Partha Chatterjee, Vidushi Subhra Guha and Pandit Uday Bhawalkar. Musician Tutors Omkar Dadarkar, Abir Hossain, Brajeswar Mukherjee, Aniruddha Bhattacharya, Arshad Ali Khan, Kumar Mardur and Waseem Ahmed Khan are rising stars in the firmament of Hindustani Classical Music. With 53 gifted Scholars carefully selected from all over the country and a dedicated team of Gurus and Musician Tutors, ITC-SRA continues to passionately pursue its mission of preserving, propagating and promoting Hindustani classical music.
While relentlessly focusing on Hindustani Classical Music, the Academy has also expanded the range of its offerings to include Carnatic concerts as well. The Academy is currently engaged in carrying the message of Hindustani Classical Music across the country from the metros to rural India. The Academy also constantly endeavours to work with other music organisations and institutions of repute.
The Academy continued with its traditional programmes as well as broke new ground with fresh initiatives such as the Malhar festival in August and the Arpan soiree in September, culminating in the ITC Sangeet Sammelan in December last year. In addition, collaboration with the India Habitat Centre at Delhi on the Morning Ragas series launched in October last year was extremely well received with Vidushi Girija Devi performing at the inaugural event.
The Academy's thrust on a collaborative effort to revisit Kolkata's magnificent heritage continued with programmes co-sponsored by the All Bengal Music Conference, the Bhowanipore Sangeet Sammelani, the Dover Lane Music Conference and other organisations. Efforts to showcase the Academy's talent across the country continued with several performances in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Varanasi.
These performances served the purpose of showcasing the exceptional talent of our Scholars, Gurus and the Academy's commitment to the cause of Indian Classical music.