The Shifting Landscape of Generosity: A Critical Inquiry into CSR in India

India has a glorious tradition of performing social responsibility, and business persons have played an instrumental role historically in this context. It is believed that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not just a concept of Western management discourse, rather it has emerged from India’s own rich socio-cultural values. However, in the changing times, CSR in the country has been legalized, and traditional philanthropy is gradually giving way to sustainable business. Based on a systematic literature review, the article aims to analyse the glorious tradition of value-driven CSR in India during the earlier days, and the challenges plaguing it after its legalization in contemporary times. The article finds that, though Indian CSR has originated from rich cultural values, it has been legalized with an aim to strategize the efforts. However, the current practice of CSR has been beset with numerous challenges, and its effectiveness is still questionable. It has to be overcome for a meaningful outcome through effective policy and practices.