A Conversation with Dr. Yunus on Social Business Day 2011

I was not sure that I could attend the evening session of social business day that held in Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon on 28th June 2011. The session was exclusively for the students. But as Dr.Yunus declared in the morning that others could attend but would not participate in the conversation I took the opportunity and stayed for the evening session.

When I entered the Hall after a small lunch in the costly Pan Pacific, I found the hall full of young girls and boys. Later I knew that they are students of different universities, private and public from Bangladesh and also some from other countries.

As we were waiting,Dr.Muhammad Yunus and Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala, President of Wockhardt Foundation approached to the lone Sofa on the podium.After a brief introduction by Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala conversation started. Dr. Khorakiwala took the moderator’s role.

We were informed that students from 20 professional institutes/universities across India were participating in the discussion. Also people are watching through yytube, a special online video media developed for the transmission of the program. Five of India’s top Management Institutes -Symbiosis Management Institute Pune, ISB Hyderabad, Great Lakes Chennai, Narsee Monjee Mumbai and Shree Ramachandra Medical University, Chennai were among the institutes participated.

Students from Indian institutes started to ask questions. Maximum 2 questions were allowed to be asked by each institution. On preventing the microlenders from going weird Dr. Yunus told that microfinance is not for business or not for making money but to support the poor to make them financially solvent. The microfinance institutions should be well regulated. On the way how students can play role in social business,he told that social business needs ideas, needs creativity. The young brains have ideas, so they will develop ideas, ideas for social business. On getting fund , he told that there will be social business fund. There are people who could contribute for social business fund and with creative ideas social businesses will develop.
Students from the audience also asked questions. But East West University surprised us all when they stood up singing ‘happy birth day’ to Dr. Yunus as the day was coincided with the birthday of Dr. Yunus. They also handed over flowers to Yunus coming to the podium.

Dr. Yunus continued to answer few more questions. Thousands of people were watching over internet. One of last questions was from East Timur. The question goes like,’people in East Timur have liking for social business but they have no entrepreneur to take the initiative’. Dr. Yunus in reply said that entrepreneurship is not something confined to a geographic area. Every person has the potential to be a good entrepreneur. One needs to have idea and take initiatives.

We enjoyed the conversation very much and the program looked ended early after 2 hours of conversation.

The whole episode was organised by Wockhardt Foundation of India and Yunus Centre Bangladesh. WF is a non-profit organisation committed to social uplift.

From Bangladesh, 400 students from 12 universities including IBA, North South,East West,Brac and Dhaka University and 50 students from USA, UK, Japan, Italy, Austria, Thailand etc participated in the program.

After the program, students signed their books in long queue by Professor Yunus. I have also signed my two books by him.

The whole episode is an unforgettable memory.

An ordinary citizen

Link : Live Telecast by Wockhardt Foundation