Building a Culture of Giving: How GMR's Daan Utsav Became More Than CSR

back

Building a Culture of Giving: How GMR's Daan Utsav Became More Than CSR

27 October 2025

Every year, during the first week of October, something remarkable happens across GMR Group. Offices transform into collection centers. Colleagues become change-makers. And what starts as a week of giving ripples into lasting impact across communities throughout India.

This is Daan Utsav, the Joy of Giving Week, where thousands of GMR employees and associates come together in a powerful demonstration of one of our core values: Social Responsibility.

Planting Seeds of Change

What began as a modest initiative has blossomed into a cornerstone of GMR's organizational culture. In its early years, Daan Utsav saw participation from a few hundred employees contributing what they could. The response was heartfelt but limited in scope. Fast forward to today, and the transformation is nothing short of extraordinary.

Year after year, participation levels have grown. Contribution volumes have increased. But more importantly, the spirit of giving has evolved from a week-long activity to a deeply ingrained cultural value that defines who we are as an organization.

Building Sustainable Community Growth

Daan Utsav is unique in its approach to community empowerment. Unlike traditional giving programs, it allows employees to contribute in ways that resonate personally with them and directly address community needs.

The diversity of contributions tells a powerful story:

Blood donations save lives in emergencies, supporting healthcare access in underserved areas through our community development initiatives.

Clothes and toys bring dignity and joy to families supported by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, ensuring children have the essentials they need.

Sewing machines and skill-building tools don't just provide immediate relief, they create pathways to sustainable livelihoods, enabling women and youth empowerment through economic independence.

Monetary contributions fund GMRVF's comprehensive social welfare initiatives, from education programs to healthcare services, creating long-term community centric development.

Each donation, whether big or small, becomes part of a larger ecosystem of change orchestrated by the dedicated team at GMRVF.

How Contributions Reach Communities

What sets GMR's Daan Utsav apart is the meticulous care taken to ensure every contribution creates genuine impact. This isn't about collecting donations and calling it a day. It is about foundation led initiatives that bridge the gap between generosity and transformation.

When employees contribute during Daan Utsav, our CSR team springs into action. They assess community needs, identify beneficiaries, coordinate logistics, and ensure transparency in distribution. Whether it is delivering educational supplies to rural schools, providing livelihood tools to women entrepreneurs, or supporting healthcare infrastructure, every contribution is tracked, every beneficiary is verified, and every impact is measured.

This systematic approach to community empowerment ensures that the joy of giving translates into tangible improvements in people's lives.

Living Our Values: Social Responsibility in Action

For GMR Group, Social Responsibility is not just a line in our values charter. It is lived every day, and exemplified powerfully during Daan Utsav. This annual tradition has become a mirror reflecting our commitment to the communities we operate in and the belief that business success must walk hand-in-hand with social progress.

The increasing participation rates tell us something profound: our employees don't just work for GMR; they believe in what GMR stands for. From the airport sector to power plant engineers and corporate teams, thousands of individuals voluntarily choose to contribute during this week. They give not because they have to, but because they want to.

This groundswell of voluntary participation has created a positive culture of sharing and caring that extends far beyond the first week of October. Employees report feeling more connected to the organization's mission, more aware of community needs, and more personally invested in creating positive change.

One of the most impactful aspects of Daan Utsav is how contributions directly support empowerment through education. School supplies, books, uniforms, and learning materials donated by employees reach children in GMRVF-supported schools, removing barriers to education and opening doors to opportunity.

But empowerment doesn't stop at the classroom. Through women and youth empowerment programs funded by Daan Utsav contributions, GMRVF provides vocational training, entrepreneurship support, and skill development opportunities that transform lives. A young person learning computer skills today might become tomorrow's IT professional. A woman trained in handicrafts might build a thriving business that supports her entire family.

These ripple effects, this sustainable community growth, are what make Daan Utsav more than just a charitable event. It is an investment in human potential.

Lasting Cultural Transformation

Employees now view Social Responsibility not as the CSR department's job, but as everyone's responsibility. The question is not "What is the company doing for communities?" but "What am I doing to contribute?" This shift from institutional charity to personal ownership represents a profound cultural evolution. It has woven into the very identity of what it means to work at GMR Group.

Daan Utsav represents the best of what corporate India can be: a powerful engine for sustainable community growth, and a testament to the transformative power of collective action.

Every year, during the first week of October, GMR Group becomes more than an infrastructure company. We become a movement. A family. A force for positive change.

Through the dedicated efforts of GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, supported by the generous contributions of thousands of employees during Daan Utsav, we are not just building airports, power plants, and highways. We are building hope, opportunity, and dignity for communities across India.

This is the joy of giving. This is the power of culture. This is GMR living its values.

To learn more about GMR Group's commitment to Social Responsibility and community development initiatives, visit gmrgroup.in. To explore the transformative work of GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, visit https://www.gmrgroup.in/foundation/.