Between money and impact
The local was unusually empty and Bhaskar attributed this to
Christmas-eve afternoon time. Most people had taken leaves from work and were
traveling home or vacationing. On top of that the afternoon hour did not
warrant much commuting population. He looked dejectedly at his formal business
suit. It would have been better to take his car after all, as his wife Rajni
had suggested. But the traffic killed him and he preferred the local. He had
counted on the afternoon hour to offer him a painless travel today on which he
could bet his five-thousand rupees custom-made business suit. It was an
important meeting today and he had to look his best.
He checked if his blackberry showed any network. The phone
still was a paper-weight. He put it back in his pocket and checked his watch. Fifteen
minutes past one. He suddenly felt the heat. Or was it because he did not
realize till now that he was traveling during the peak afternoon hour? He eased
the topmost button on his crisp white shirt. He had to reach the VC’s office at
3 pm. Ending a fifteen-year old association with one of the most successful
multinational companies had not been easy. But the entrepreneurial worm in the
pit of his stomach had been too strong. Now he relied on the money he had saved
in the past fifteen years to run his venture.
The last two years into his start-up had not been exactly
exciting but he had given himself a timeframe of 3-4 years to see it to
fruition. He had tried knocking the doors of a few venture capitalists but they
did not seem too excited at the idea of putting money into an NGO trying to
create an impact on the local artisans’ life, and also promising to be
financially viable. Banks were more forthcoming with loans and so did some of
his old professional contacts, but he did not want to start with too much debt
and regret later. A modest but solid start was his idea of a good beginning.
He had told the earlier VC that while most of the money will
go directly to the artist, thereby having a huge impact on the lives of them
and their families and overall uplifting the local economy, a large part of it
will be ploughed back to the business, helping it diversify and grow. But the
Venture Capitalist had looked unsure. He had asked some unrelated bizarre
questions. He did not seem like the sort of person who cared about having an
impact on the lives of poor people, but only how much moolah he made at the end
of the day. Probably he was born in high rise somewhere unaware of the millions
hungry and dying, needing the help of people like him and Bhaskar.
Bhaskar sighed nervously. He hoped that the presentation
today would be a lot more productive. Somebody somewhere would see that if more
entrepreneurs tried to help others then overall the markets will become more
positive, and the world will become a more pleasing place to bring our children
into.
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