Interviewing the Nobel laureate:Prof. Md. Yunus

So it was last Wednesday, no Tuesday,  I found myself midst a boot camp on social enterprises, discussing with Sunny from abundant water.org, how they plan to come up with filter to provide clean drinking water to people in Laos. I was wondering WTH I am doing in here, and what is this social biz thing. You see it was totally different from the technical e’ship workshops I have attended.  Being an engineering geek has its drawbacks, you get that tunnel vision where everything non-techie feels frugal and useless. It was time to dig a road sideways in the tunnel.

I got a media pass to attend the event, to be exact “The social business week 2012 was organized jointly by Grameen Creative labs and NUS to inspire, connect, and engage an audience ranging from social entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, social venture investors, academia, government, civil society and youth. The week-long public programme included public lectures and a 2-day boot camp for social entrepreneurs to develop and refine their social business plans.” <as copy-pasted from their website>

It was an eye opener, and I realised the immense power that a social business has. The way it touches the life, and the way it takes care of folks who are usually left behind in a capitalistic society.

Well to be frank I wanted to meet Grameen bank founder Md. Yunus, and I met him in person and asked him if it was to interview him for my campus magazine. He said alright and swoosh went the email to my magazine editor with subject  “Interview with nobel laureate”. Once I got the necessary okays,  I jumped upon the opportunity and in came the book ‘banker to the poor’ from NUS library, and I surprisingly finished a book so fast, in seven days <after HP ofcourse, it still is ranked 1 >.

All to get a gist what actually is micro-finance and how did Grameen bank evolved ? Also to avoid asking questions as “So prof do you see wireless mesh ad-hoc networks substituting wireless sensor nw in smart grid applications?”

Jokes apart, “Prof. Yunus, you really are a true icon and source of inspiration.”

Believed me it saved me, for 1 hour and 15 minutes of asking question in a room with only 6 ppl from media. All in all it went well, and ended up with jpeg images of eager poseur with a noble laureate.

And once I am done with this executive summary “‘Near-field wireless energy transfer” as disruptive technology, I promise to come back with more gyaan on social enterprise.

For the interested ones you can follow the interview excerpts at  http://www.campus.com.sg/archives/2900

PS: 100 posts !! Hoo-haa \m/