Social Entrepreneurship, you, me and the society

Following is an article recently written for NSEF blog. I have included the text of my talk delivered at TEDx BITS Goa conference organised on 5 Feb 2010 in this blog. This article can be found on NSEF blog at http://www.nsef-india.org/blog/?p=12

Social entrepreneurship is one of my favorite topics to talk about and write about. I am happy to get a chance to write the first blog on this portal which is aimed at promoting social entrepreneurship. The moment I have seen the new blog that’s started by our tech team, I remembered Advanijis statement made during his campaign in the last general elections. He said ”a portal without a blog is like a letter without a signature.” What an appropriate statement! What better system can we create than the dynamism of blogs which help us know the day to day happenings and the diversity of thoughts that people share about an issue. I hope this blog makes a mark in promoting social entrepreneurship, in updating the audience about the latest happenings in social entrepreneurship and of course in promoting NSEF, its objectives and programs.

The moment I was asked to write the first blog, I thought what better topic can I choose than talking about Social entrepreneurship in general, why social entrepreneurship, how it is relevant for you and the society. Since these days I spent almost all the days and nights at office, I have chosen not to do anything new and therefore I have just opened the audio of the talk and written down what ever what I have talked in the recent TEDx conference that was organised in BITS Goa to share with you. This is how my talk went on to tell the audience why social entrepreneurship and how it is relevant for you and the society. I started with my own village.

“Dear friends, Let me share with you my observations and experience in my own village. Friends, I come from a remote village of Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh. My village in itself is a world that is different from the world that we know. With abundant natural resources, with agricultural fields all around, with a pleasant environment and with traditional arts and culture pleasing you, it looks like a world to be in but friends today my village is facing the most challenging problems. I see a farmer worrying without any credit solution, I see another farmer selling his agricultural raw produce to a merchant who makes the most profit, I see a degree holder having no awareness about the opportunities, I see a crafts man making beautiful sarees and other garments having no idea about the markets, I see a potter making beautiful articles who doesn’t know the quality control methods, I see a child suffering from malnutrition, I see women walking miles to get drinking water, I see children studying under the lamps.

All these put together makes my village a world that has a great potential facing the most challenging problems at this moment. And you find similar stories in other villages in my state, in other states and probably other countries as well. It wouldn’t be possible for the world to move forward ignoring this world that’s unexplored. It’s not a great idea either to not to unveil the potential that this world offers us.

Therefore, it needs people who can pioneer innovations at the grass roots and people who can apply their entrepreneurial skills to organize, create, and manage a venture to solve these complex socio economic problems and bring a social change. That is we need social entrepreneurs who can fuel socio-economic change at the grass roots with their innovations.

I am not talking about something that’s impractical and impossible. We have live and great examples to learn and to get inspired from. We all know how Nobel laureate Mohamed Younis has built the biggest bank of Bangladesh by providing banking to the most marginalized section of Bangladesh. We also know how Gram IT providing BPO solutions across the globe with its 600 employees by just sitting in the interior villages of Andhra Pradesh. I am sure you might have heard and even visited Mother Earth retail stores which is promoting handicrafts and is doing an annual business of around Rs 40 crores. So, I am talking about something that’s most practical and most valuable. I am talking about a concept that’s generating an annual turnover of around 2.5 Trillion dollars. I am talking about a concept that not only brings a change in lives of the people but also bring brings a change in your life too by earning numerous opportunities and financial returns.

Today we need people who can take up that one idea which is stronger than all the armies in the world i.e social entrepreneurship. That alone has the capacity to bring a social change and therefore I say it’s stronger than all the armies in the world.

In this 21st century, the word entrepreneurship is going to be redefined by social entrepreneurs. Social entrepreneurs are going to change the way business are run. They are going to renovate this world through their innovations for the society. I wish you and me become a part of it to make this world a better place to live for both you and me.

“There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea which has the capacity to bring a social change.”