When it comes to ‘giving it back’ to the society, every small step in the right direction counts. Individual Social Responsibility or ISR encapsulates the very essence of humanity -- to be humane. It is all about being "socially responsible”, incorporating an ethical outlook and becoming aware of how our actions are affecting our communities.
It is an individual’s emotional investment and gratification to the society he/she lives in, by taking cognizance of various issues plaguing the society and taking steps to build a sustainable future for our forthcoming generations.
Akin to the symbiotic nature of our environment, where the flora, fauna and human beings - all co-exist to create a harmonious entity, ISR is like being in a symbiotic relationship with our immediate surroundings, communities, society and the world at large. ISR is where the individual works at a heightened level of transformation from within for a purposeful life and happiness.
ISR is already a way of life for many in our society. Some people indulge in weekly volunteering initiatives such as blood donation drives, beach clean-up drives, others invest in socially responsible funds, while a few others just consume organic products and support a good cause depending on their independent motivations.
Take for example - the case of a 22-year-old software engineer from Hyderabad Tejasvi Podapati, who has done phenomenal work in cleaning up her hometown in Andhra Pradesh. For the last two years, she has been travelling 300 kilometers each weekend to mobilise the cleaning drive at her hometown. Her movement is now 1,000 volunteers-strong, and growing.
The ISR movement is not restricted to a community, city or even a country. It is a global movement that addresses the ‘local’ problems of societies at large, and aims to solve them by congregating efforts of each and every individual in a progressive direction.
In this digital world, the letter ‘I’ stands for innovation that's immersive, intuitive and inclusive…but the true power of ‘I’ lies in #ISR - Individual social responsibility.
I truly believe that in today’s disruptive world, ISR is that powerful tool that can help in significantly improving the quality of life of other individuals, groups, teams, as well as the society at large. It can have a multiplier effect in the society, where individual efforts can gather mass and become a collective force. The time is now to discover “the science of being” to shape a better world.