Mr. Dinesh Shahra, MD, Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd. at the Corporate Culture Spirituality Conference organized at The Art of Living International Centre, Bangalore

Dear friends, at the outset, we must accept that CSR is no more an optional service for a business. It certainly is not a burden. And you are left with no choice but to be blessed with this boon. In a complex economic and social environment today, issues related to social responsibility and sustainability are gaining more and more importance. Business goals cannot be separated from the societies and environments within which we operate. Whilst short-term economic gain may be pursued, failure to account for longer-term social and environmental impacts can make those business practices unsustainable.


At Ruchi Soya, our definition of CSR encompasses three areas:

    Giving back to the Society: we can prosper and run business in a profitable way only by creating value for the society. It includes our employees, communities close to our plants & factories, and on a wider perspective our consumers and society at large
    Growth in a sustainable manner: We believe that resources available to us are not inherited from our forefathers; we have borrowed them from the generations to come. Being in Agro-based business, we are doing our bit by planting more trees, ensuring that our global procurement do not amount to destruction of forests. And we are taking conscious efforts to spread greenery while doing our business. Though Govt has not made it mandatory, in all our 20 manufacturing plants spread across India, we are trying not use conventional electricity provided by the State supply board. We are using non-conventional techniques like solar power and using the waste product to meet our energy requirements. Each of our recent office building has been a green building.

    Firm belief in our Values: Ruchi Soya believes in RITE

a.      RELATIONSHIP: among our employees, business partners and our share holders. Its relationship that makes us what we are today and we always work to make them better.

b.      INNOVATIONS: are the key to everlasting success and immortality.

c.      TEAMWORK: This signifies our joint effort towards making better future for everyone associated with us.

d.      EXCELLENCE: It is our constant efforts which have given us PAN India presence and setting our global footprints.


Values are like sign posts that are part of any journey guiding us to reach our destination. If there are no sign posts indicating which direction to take turn and where to keep moving, then one shall get strayed and become lost. One might finally reach his destination, but he will have to undergo undue struggle and hardship in the process that could have been easily avoided had there been someone or something to show him the correct direction.


For us values are not only means to achieve some ends in the world we live, they are in fact precious end in themselves helping us experience more of our humanity and also expressing our  human potential in a sustained way for the benefit of everybody.


In Bhagwad Geeta Lord Krishna mentions that whenever there would be decline in human values and righteousness he shall take birth to destroy the evil and wicked forces at play. But we cannot wait until everything is gone and lost, and hence each one of us must pledge to build a strong foundation within us by crystalizing human values in our consciousness, so that the human spirit takes over the human mind for its total control and rightful application.