Introduction

The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a 154-year-old institution, which is also the oldest Chamber "East of the Suez". The Chamber was set up in 1853. For the last one and a half centuries, the Chamber has been witness to the momentous events that have shaped India's industrial and social character. Donning its multiple roles as catalyst, initiator, facilitator, business partner and service provider, the Chamber has helped Governments, both at the Centre and State in crafting pioneering and significant legislations. The BCCI has managed to remain both young and relevant simply because it is quick to recognize and value the only constant in time - change. We have, from being an industry vanguard, gone beyond our traditional bastion of business and industry-specific domain to address larger economic and socio-economic tracts of concern - from Wellbeing to Education, and Sports to Training & Placement. We have initiated quite a few sector and area specific initiatives, in some of which we are working jointly with the Government of West Bengal. The shared vision is to make growth a universal phenomenon. The Chamber believes that development is meaningful only when it is composite and inclusive of the diverse parameters that drive growth. Today, the Chamber's interest and operations range from organizing mega seminars and relevant events on the 'brick' industry to the new-age 'click' organizations. From financial services, insurance, banking and taxation to focusing on the environment and energy sectors, the Chamber's range of operations is diverse and evolving over time. The Bengal Chamber has enjoyed a very special relationship with the city ever since 1834, the year to which the Chamber traces its roots. It was a time when the renaissance in Bengal had firmly entrenched itself in society with the city and its people creating newer and path-breaking paradigms in literature, arts and science. Fast forward to the early 21st century - Year 2003! The Chamber celebrating it sesquicentennial year and taking fresh guard! We focused on new areas, acknowledging that business has transcended boundaries and is all pervasive - stretching from mundane manufacturing to eclectic event management. The Bengal Chamber has helped in the formation of a slew of educational and cultural institutions - Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM), Nazrul Manch and the Academy of Fine Arts apart from bringing to Kolkata the son-et-lumiere at the Victoria Memorial. The Chamber has always recognized the fact that in the new environment of society, industry and business, the need for Corporates to internalize and demonstrate their responsibilities to the society in which they operate is no longer a matter of debate. From being the chief relief distributor during the Great Bengal Famine of 1943 to adopting a Rural Development Programme in a cluster of twenty villages near Kolkata from 1977 to 1985 to initiating a movement on Corporate Citizenship and Social Responsibility, the Chamber has taken CSR as one of the guiding principles for business operations.