I have a dream by Rashmi Bansal free pdf download

20 social entrepreneurs. One common dream – to change the
world in their capacity and with their capability and beyond.
The author’s note defines the book, best, as “These are people
like you and me, not Mother Teresa. They are using the
principles of business, to create a better world”
A world where profit does not equal greed. Where people
come together for a greater common cause. A world where
“I” does not mean crushing “them.”
The book is divided into:
Rainmakers, Change makers, and the Spiritual Capitalists.
Rainmakers:
It’s a collection of social enterprises where the motive is to
do good and not charity. Initiative like Sulabh International
by Bindeshwa Pathak (born in 1943), was conceptualized to
realize Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a “Clean India” and his
struggle to remove the caste system in 1960s.
The story will clean your mind about various prejudices that
holds the mind.
Then stories like DesiCrew, India’s first BPO project by 23-
year-old Saloni will help you envision what one can do best
with technology.
Then, Anand Kumar of Super 30 fame will help you embrace
the limitations set for you and what can you do best for the
society in those parameters. He has a record of almost cent
percent admission into IIT, every year.
What do you do when a courier man comes to your
doorstep. You sign and take your parcel. And that’s what
instigated the idea for Dhruv Lakra, a young man to start
“Mirakle Couriers” An incident in a bus journey made Dhruv
realize that hearing impaired can be given job opportunities
too. And the best fit was a courier company where the
customer need not communicate verbally. A signature and
you take the courier.
Changemakers:
And.. there are some who believe in the one-man army.
Here is a anecdote i would like to paste
The corpse carrier remarked “In the winter, business is
good. Sometimes, there is so much work, I cannot handle it”
And his five year old added “When I feel cold, I cuddle a
dead body and go to sleep”
And that’s when Anshu Gupta realized
“I bunked my classes for the first 15 days and that was my
first exposure to ‘village India’ I roamed here and there and
I saw how people are not worried about houses or food.
They are only worried about warm clothes and blankets.’
(Disclaimer: is it so? I wonder)
And.. he started Goonj, an organization where clothes are
distributed among the needy and they are instrumental in
deputing clothes during disaster relief.
I was thrilled to read about Parivartan, a movement or an
NGO started by Mr. Arvind Kejriwal. If you are following the
LokPal Bill closely, you will know who this man is. Read the
book to know more about him.
And then the last segment of the book is about service for
inner purity. If you believe in it, then this segment is just for
you.
With stories like the inception of Akshaya Patraya, where
they serve meals to a house for many, Parivar Ashram,
started by a young IIM graduate, this segment, though the
shortest houses food for thought.
I have mentioned only few organizations here, but all of
them have something to offer. I have read Connect the Dots
and Stay Hungry stay Foolish by Rashmi Bansal. This book
follows the same pattern. Her thoughts followed by the story
of the individual and then “Advice for the Young
Entrepreneurs.” the book ends with a list of the e-mail
address of the respective individuals featured. However, they
missed contacts of two individuals: Dhruv Lakra and
Madhav Chavan.
Here is an advice I related most with:
And if you want to make a difference, it does not have to be
a full time for everybody. Do it along side a job, You have
time for movies, parties, friends, family, chatting on the net,
why not an hour to volunteer?
There are people who spend lives on social issues, you can
flow with them.
I feel: Or you can make your own tide!
P.S.: I love volunteering. And have been doing some
activities related to social work and this book helped me
understand the nitty gritties and the challenged faced while
starting one’s own organization.
Recommend this book for everyone who is inclined towards
social entrepreneurship.