Anil Chitrakar is an Ashoka Fellow and our invited speaker at SEforum 2005. He was trained in the United States as an engineer and energy planner. He believes that the business and social worlds can be bridged by finding a middle ground between the two.

He received an Ashoka Fellowship for launching Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) in Nepal in 1987. He helped implement the National Conservation Strategy for Nepal between 1990 and 1997 and is a member of the City Planning Commission in Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

What is your personal philosophy in life?
I am driven by a simple philosophy that is based on the story of the rabbit and the turtle. As we all know the two decide to race, the rabbit decides to take a nap; the turtle wins the race. What happened the next day? Well the rabbit learnt an important lesson. They decide the run again. The rabbit wins. The third day, the turtle goes to the rabbit and says let us run again, but this time I will choose the route. The arrogant rabbit says Ok. They run, come to a river. The rabbit does not know how to swim and the turtle wins the race…

Life is like that. We have to always be ready for the next challenge and opportunity. Luck always favours the prepared mind. This is my outlook in life. Tomorrow has to be another day for everyone.

How did you get involved in social entrepreneurship?

As a young engineer and energy planner, I travelled all over Nepal. I saw the wealth of natural resources everywhere as well as the economic poverty. Nepal is not poor; it is poorly managed. There had to be some way to link resources with the people who need it the most. It was about the wise-use of resources. I knew of methods, techniques, technologies and skills that needed to be accessed by these people. And we put together a system of providing it.

For example, I saw women tying up their children (at home to prevent them from running around) before going to fetch water in west Nepal. When we installed a solar water system, imagine the delight in the faces of the mothers and children! When we worked on methane gas plants for the areas adjoining national parks, imagine the relief people felt at not having to arduously trek to take of fuel wood. With the time and “energy saved”, pieces of fuel wood are carved into a beautiful window – each fetching a good income. In as many as 10 villages, families who have been using kerosene lamps all their lives now use 2 sets of clean solar light. What’s more, they are able to listen to music on the radio. Nepal is not a poor country; only poorly managed. Social Entrepreneurs come in to “shift resources”, to create social value, to provide social needs where it is most needed.

Is there a role for Social Entrepreneurship in Singapore?

Every society has its challenges. Economic wealth may make them less visible. I am sure they are there under the surface. No matter at which stage of economic development, I know there is need for Social Entrepreneurship everywhere there are people. Money only buys you some time and space, but it does not create happiness. It can fuel the gap between the have and have-nots, it can de-capacitate, as much as it capacitates.

To move further in what we seek, we need to put young people in charge. Young people in these communities need to grow up feeling they can give themselves permission to solve social challenges. There has to be the enabling environment where they can step up, state the problem, the underlying causes, the solution and the possible ways to get there. Every society has problems and hence every society surely has Social Entrepreneurs – Singapore should be no exception.

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