Social Entrepreneurship Series – No. 2

Wow!! What a wonderful celebrations we had during Joy of Giving (JOG) Week! I was inspired and motivated by the activities of LIBA Radius in taking such initiatives. One of the best things to me is that LIBA Entrepreneurship Cell (E – Cell) was able to be a part of JOG week by organising a Conference on Social Entrepreneurship on the theme we “mean” Business – Emerging Social Entrepreneurs of the 21st Century, for LIBA Radius during JOG week. Hope the conference enlightened the minds of the students with Ashoka fellows, Mr. Sriram Ayer (Nalanda Way) and Mr. Illango Rangaswamy (TVSG) sharing their experience after the theme introduction by Fr. Joe Arun SJ, professor of Social Entrepreneurship at various institutes across the globe including LIBA.
Coming to our series, let us clearly understand who Social Entrepreneurs are. There is no clear definition for the term Social Entrepreneur, though the term was first created and defined as “men and women with system changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems” by Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka, an organization that strives to create a global, entrepreneurial, competitive citizen sector. Different people interpret the term in different ways. Literally speaking, Entrepreneur means one who sets up a business and Social means something related to society, which put together means as a business set up basically for the betterment of the society. This can raise a question whether social entrepreneurship help in generating profits and how it is different from a normal NGO? To be precise, positive social change is the main motive of social entrepreneurship rather than profits. But the possibility of social entrepreneurship resulting in profits cannot be ruled out.
It is very interesting to learn that the number of social entrepreneurs is on the raise year on year. In a materialistic world that runs towards profits, we have people who have made positive social change as their prime motive in their life. What an amazing job they are doing! What triggered them to do so? Why should they do it? What pleasure do they derive from it? Do all these questions have answers? What LIBA Radius, which has promoting social entrepreneurship as one of the missions, can do worthwhile in promoting social entrepreneurship? Watch out this space for more. Let us explore the world of Social Entrepreneurship to the core!
Keep your feedbacks posting. Let us together make this column a meaningful one. Have fun. Wish you all a meaningful and colourful Deepavali wishes! Let the festival of Lights add more light to our lives.

- Boniface P.
The writer is the secretary of LIBA Entrepreneurship Cell (E – Cell) and can be reached at
+91 9884342050 and boniface_p@liba.edu