David himself has been changed as he studied the subject proving the philosophical notion right that the subject changes as he studies the object. Once, a journalist following general topics, he has become a specialist in change makers and his focus shifted as he observed these unusual people in action.

Some of these people are world famous like James P. Grant, the late chief of Unicef who more than any other public person in the international domain established a separate moral space for the rights and services of children. It was not so much the organisation or the UN system that was bolstered but the children became 'visible' to the rest of the world as an independent identity who couldn't be denied or ignored. This influenced public policy making in this sector like no other person did before or after. In many ways, he was the most significant individual of the past century in his sphere. No less a soul than the great Nelson Mandela who has endorsed the book saying, "This is a wonderfully hopeful and enlightening book."

Yet social development is not outside politics. Reporting a negotiation James Grant had with President Jose Napoleon Duarte of El Salvador in 1985, Bornstein describes how Grant convinced the civil war stricken country's President to declare "Days of Tranquillity" -- in effect cease fire days -- when Unicef supported immunisation programmes for children were implemented. They make gripping reading showing peace was as thrilling as war generation. That's what make these people different from the usual crowd.

The global network of learning

Another person who has made waves all over the world is Bill Drayton, who established the Ashoka Fellowship that has become a global movement. Bornstein has traced the development of his ideas over the years in a lucid manner, almost like a investigative reporter. Bill Drayton, a US citizen and a Harvard graduate, in a way interned at the feet of the great land reformer and disciple of Gandhi,

Acharya Vinova Bhave. Bornstein writes that the great Indian politician introduced him to Jaya Prakash Narayan "who in turn put him in touch with Vinoba Bhave."

"Bhave didn't believe that the government could achieve land reform peacefully. For him, the way was to change people's hearts. So in 1951, he launched his bhoodan (land gift) movement that later grew into his gramdan (village grant) movement. Although he was fifty-five at the time and suffered from malaria and stomach ulcer, Bhave began walking across India, ten to twelve miles a day, teaching villagers about non-violence and exhorting them to transfer portions of land to a cooperative ownership..."

"By 1960 Bhave's efforts had led to the voluntary redistribution of 7 million acres of land, an area larger than Massachusetts, Delaware and Rhode Island combined."

It's from Bhave that Drayton learnt about making changes and understanding the process of change. Drayton himself says, "I understood his intelligence at the analytical level. And I saw him as a living saint. Today I would probably see him as a social entrepreneur."

We have referred to two of these cases because the names may be familiar to the readers but there are many others who figure in this book. These people have certain traits in common and seem to be driven by the desire to achieve and not profit. They are change makers because they believe that they have a great idea and know that it can be translated into action. They are rigorous thinkers, have little attraction for an ostentatious life and almost dislike power unless it has a purpose. Status and recognition mean little to them and they thrive on calculated risks. As David Bornstein has shown, there are many such people in the world and more are following them everyday into the world of change making.

The book therefore is on entrepreneurship but not money making. In this country, where wealth is considered an indicator of ultimate success and the process of wealth making is not even probed, these stories that Bornstein present has significant importance. It might show that social enterprise too has a major space in public life and is respected all over the world. Individuals can and do make a difference and there can be no better record of that argument than this book.

It would be good to learn for those who see a life of work instead of a career or even those who are comfortable with their conventional consumerist activities and want to see another genus of beings driven by the power of their ideas and the push to make it despite all odds. The book also has a reference section and a resource guide which will be a big help for the would be social entrepreneurs. Let alone that, it's an unusual book and is written to be read.

Afsan Chowdhury is a senior journalist and Director, Advocacy Unit, Brac.