Nation Building

11 years at Dream A Dream and I often get asked this question. So, is it Dream A Dream for life or is there something beyond? I am sure many social entrepreneurs get asked this same question after a few years of their work in the sector. The answer is as difficult as it is easy.

I have spent 11 years in a dogged commitment to build an organization that stands for good, high-impact work; stands for child rights and child development; stands for transparency, accountability and collaboration; that stands for values of integrity and innovation; stands for creating a large scale dent on the issue of child development in the country. Build an organization that is truthful in its work and honest in admitting its limitations. An organization of passionate, high-quality individuals who want to see change happen in their life time.

We are still working on this. In that respect, my work is not yet over and 11 years seems like too short a time to achieve this vision. Along the way though, I realized building organizations is just the journey towards the larger purpose. The role of a social entrepreneur is never to build an organization though organizations are great vehicles for learning and nurturing.

A few years back, I asked myself this question - "Am I in Dream A Dream for life?". It took me quite a few years before I could comfortably and confidently say the following. Today, Dream A Dream has built an identity of its own. Its an entity in its own. It has its vision and strategies to get to that vision. It has established a pace of growth for itself and it is following its trajectory. A few years back, the organization's and my pace and trajectory were aligned. Today, fortunately, we have been able to create our independent identities. With everything I have learnt and done in the last few years, Dream A Dream has given me a larger goal, a larger cause to work for. Dream A Dream has been the stepping stone of this larger vision which would never have emerged if not for the grounded experience of building an organization and rallying support from all across.

So, if Dream A Dream is the stepping stone, what is this larger Vision? The answer came in what Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka said, "Social Entrepreneurs are not interested in giving fish, neither interested in teaching how to fish. They will not tire till they have changed the dynamics of the entire fishing industry."

So, the most natural progression for me as a social entrepreneur is to move from organization building to nation building. For, until we are able to influence policy at a national level and build a nation based on justice and equity, sustainable change is just a distant dream.

I asked this question to a bunch of social entrepreneurs over a late evening conversation at a conference. "So, isn't it a natural progression for a social entrepreneur to become a politician and influence policy change?" Yes was the unanimous answer but not for me. I was confused. Why not?

I was given a whole load of the most regular reasons around corruption, dynastic politics, its a dirty game, etc, etc. I stepped back and reflected - did any of these reasons stop us social entrepreneurs to be rebels and start the organizations we started for the causes we strongly believe in? Didn't we at some point, take that leap of faith and said, we will change this even though the whole world thinks we must be fools. Hasn't our success given us enough reason to now step-up and say, from working on a single cause, we need to now take up the cause of the nation. Why are we scared to take risks today? Is it because, we have got bogged down building our organizations that we don't have it in us to take on bigger challenges today?  Or are we just entrepreneurs?

I am not sure of the others but after that evening, I was very convinced that my natural progression from a social entrepreneur needs to be a Nation-Builder through the political route. We understand the ground realities, we have worked with communities, we are sensitive and intelligent. We are great risk-takers and we don't shy away from standing up for what is right. We are ethical and have based our life on integrity.

When enough of us, building social entrepreneurial organizations, have created the trajectory for our organizations, our natural next step becomes moving into the political arena. To make change happen across the country, to create policies that impact an entire nation, to build a model nation based on values of our constitution. I am convinced, at some point, we will reach a tipping point of an entire population of excellent social entrepreneurs becoming Nation Builders and then Poverty will be counting its days in this country.

The first ones have to take that step and failure is guaranteed. The first ones need to fail so that they can inspire an entire generation of young social entrepreneurs to take the same path and they will succeed.

If working to right a wrong has been our commitment for so many years through our organizations, it is time we take the challenge and right every wrong at the National level. After-all, isn't a nation also a mirror of an organization, just much larger.

I am committing to this path in the next 5 years. Are there others willing to join? I guarantee you failure and I also guarantee you an entire generation of success after us. Let's build a Nation together!