A lot of people want money and fame in their lives. They want to live a life of success. But how many people are there to solve problems and come up with solutions? A very few, almost negligible. Yet they forget that happiness comes when you give something to society. Money and fame are of no use if you cannot come out of your own boundaries of selfishness.
"I Have a Dream" is not just a book. It contains the inspiring stories of 20 social entrepreneurs who uniquely solved problems. They have one thing in common: A belief that they can bring a positive change in society.
“A single person can move mountains, perform miracles. And that person could be you…”
― Rashmi Bansal, I have a Dream
The book is divided into 3 parts-
RAINMAKERS
Social enterprises in which earning profit is not the prime motive. They want to do something good for society.
CHANGEMAKERS
A single person starts a movement. A change maker takes the small steps and keeps on moving.
THE SPIRITUAL CAPITALIST
Individuals who choose an old fashioned spiritual path. They believe in the purity of purpose and the selflessness of spirit.
“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’.”
― Rashmi Bansal, I have a Dream
Each story talks about the change one person can bring to society. Some people always complain about the circumstances. But these entrepreneurs stepped out of their comfort zone and brought a significant change to society. Here is a brief description of 20 inspiring stories-
Sulabh International
Bindeshwar Pathak, a Brahmin boy who started a movement known as Sulabh. He brought a revolution in toilets.
Conserve India
Anita Ahuja wanted to do something to improve the lives of ragpickers. Today she and her husband recycle plastic waste to create beautiful handbags.
Aavishkaar Social Venture Fund
Vineet Rai worked on the idea of setting up a micro-venture fund for rural entrepreneurs.
Rangsutra
Sumita Ghose runs a for-profit venture that sources craft and textiles from villages. It helps to improve the lives of villagers.
DesiCrew
Saloni Malhotra decided to do something different with her life. Today she manages a DesiCrew, which is a sustainable, profitable rural BPO.
Spiti Ecosphere
Ishita Khanna promotes eco-tourism and berry production. She is also passionate about conservation.
Selco
Harish Hande started a company that makes solar lighting suitable and affordable for villagers. Selco has installed 120000 systems in Karnataka.
Pipal Tree
Santosh Parulekar runs a unique social enterprise to transform poorly educated rural youth into highly skilled construction workers.
Project Chilika
Dinabandhu Sahoo trained the villagers in Orissa to farm the ocean and make a livelihood through the cultivation of seaweed.
Super 30
Anand Kumar, a mathematics teacher, started tutoring poor but deserving students for IIT JEE.
Mirakle Couriers
Dhruv Lakra started a courier service employing the deaf.
Pratham
Madhav Chavan made education his life mission. Pratham is the largest NGO impacting millions of children across India.
Goonj
Anshu Gupta started Goonj to deliver a message to the masses. Waste clothing from urban India is systematically sorted and delivered through Goonj.
Association for Democratic Reforms
Trilochan Sastry wanted to serve his nation. Now he runs ADR which is slowly changing the way we elect our leaders.
Akanksha
Shaheen Mistri started Akanksha to volunteer their time teaching kids from the slums. Now Akanksha covers thousand of children in different locations.
Parivartan
Arvind Kejriwal through Parivartan pioneered the use of RTI(Right to Information Act) to empower citizens.
Blind Person's association
Bhushan Punani could have lived a lavish life after completing his MBA. But he decided to do something for the people. So he joined BPA.
Akshaya Patra
Madhu Pandit Dasa discovered Krishna and embraced the spiritual path. Akshaya Patra feeds millions of children every day.
Parivaar Ashram
Vinayak Lohani started Parivaar Ashram to serve humanity. Parivaar Ashram is a residential facility for orphans, tribals and daughters of prostitutes.
Belur Math
Shreesh Jadhav is living the life of a monk. In his free time, he teaches computer science to students.
“whatever you do, there will be people who will encourage you, and people who discourage you.”
― Rashmi Bansal, I have a Dream
The journey of each individual plants a seed of hope that nothing is impossible. If you can believe then everything is possible. It is a must-read book for the young generation who want to serve society. Have a good day.
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