The Kanoria Foundation was envisioned by the Kanoria family as a trustee entity that enabled them to manage their business interests while providing the impetus to take part in social work. Headquartered in Kolkata, the Kanoria family has imbibed the Hindu philosophy of Sanatana Dharma, into their business ventures for over two centuries. It has impacted their approach towards business and social welfare where equal importance is given to their work, and towards their duty to the society. The tagline of the foundation “Work with Devotion” is an affirmation of their beliefs. Companies like SREI Equipment Finance, Bengal SREI Infrastructure Development Limited, SREI Capital Markets Ltd, SREI Insurance Broking are under the trust, with SREI Foundation, as the Public Charitable Trust under the supervision of Kanoria Foundation.
SREI Foundation
Kanoria Foundation’s objective is to create enterprises that stimulate society’s development while establishing sustainable objectives that endure the alterations of time. The social initiative taken under SREI Foundation focuses on a variety of social issues concentrating on providing access to health and education to all those within reach. To this end, SREI Foundation provides educational aid medical support, healthy sanitation assistance, establishing hospitals, schools, libraries, medical facilities, pollution control etc. They have established the Acid Survivors & Women Welfare Foundation which functions all over India to advocate against acid attacks and rehabilitate the victims of the attacks.
In addition to the support, SREI Foundation also holds certain programs that train students and prospective changemakers on issues like acid attacks, climate change initiatives, conservation practices, efficient waste management practices, leadership, and social responsibilities through education. SREI Foundation holds the title of Organization in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council ECOSOC.
They also conduct events like World Confluence of Humanity, Power & Spirituality where issues of Spirituality & Humanity are examined. The emphasis of social work is to heal the mind, body, and soul of people.
Kanoria Foundation’s mission “To work selflessly and with devotion for the welfare of humanity by impacting the body, mind and soul” can be felt in its approach to SREI Foundation. This notion of Culture, Values, and Morals form the base of the philosophy behind the Kanoria Foundation insignia.
The Insignia Design
The insignia depicts the story of Samudramanthan, known as the Churning of the Cosmic/Milk Ocean in the Vedic scriptures. According to Vedic mythology, the incident of Samudramanthan took place as the rivals Devas and Asuras came together to churn the ocean of milk to obtain Amrita, the nectar of immortality. The churning bore many endowments that benefited all in existence. The various elements of the insignia are symbolic of Kanoria Foundation’s ideology of Sanatana Dharma, which means Eternal Duty. Regardless of its origins in Hindu scriptures, the philosophy of Sanatana Dharma is secular in its reasoning. It maintains that clarifying that people need to adhere to the norms of Dharma ie their Duty and Karma ie their Work to build a meaningful life for themselves.
Elements
1. Vasuki – Vasuki was the snake that acted as a rope for the churning. The Devas and Asuras held the opposite ends of the snake to churn the ocean.
2. Mount Mandara – The mountain Mandara was the anchor, however, it started to sink into the ocean. The god Vishnu came transformed into the Kurma, the tortoise, to balance the mountain on its shell.
3. Churning – The two opposing factions of Devas and Asuras worked together to churn the waters of the cosmic ocean.
4. The 14 Ratnas – As the churning went on, various gifts came out of the waters. They were the 14 Ratnas of “Amrit”, the Nectar of immortality, “Halahala” the cosmic Poison, “Laxmi” the Goddess of Wealth, “Dhanvantari” the God of Health, “Jyestha” the Goddess of Poverty, “Chandra” the Moon, “Airavata” the White Elephant steed of god Indra, “Kamadhenu” the Wish-granting Divine Cow; “Uchhaishravas” the Seven-headed Horse, “Parijat” the Divine Tree with evergreen Blossoms, “Sankha” the victory conch of god Vishnu, Rambha the Apsara, Varuni the Goddess of Wine, and Kaustubha the most valuable jewel worn by god Lord Vishnu.
Together, all the elements combine to create a narrative where the committed, single-minded, and steady churning of ideas, when combined with due diligence towards work, leads to the creation of several gifts or ratnas that have the power to make an impact on all, whether they are an investor in a company, a part of the society, the citizen of the nation or the world.