An open letter to Prof Yunus

I have never met you, but you have been a major influence in my life. I have learned some valuable lessons of life from you. Noteworthy of these lessons are: the worst situation provides the best opportunity; one needs to dream first to make anything good to happen in life; dream big, really big; and every human being is capable of bringing positive changes in his or her personal and social lives. Last semester, a colleague of mine-who teaches a Development Economics course in our department-asked me if I could say something about Grameen Bank and you in her class. I immediately agreed and went to her class to explain how Grameen Bank works in Bangladesh. I have tremendously enjoyed answering students' questions regarding how you founded Grameen Bank and how it became so popular among the poor. I must also stress that students were very excited about social business, which not only helps the poor immediately, but also continues to help them forever by creating more jobs and more services. I cannot express in words how much proud I felt on that day to be a citizen of Bangladesh. I was filled with joy and happiness to think that our Bangladesh-which people in the west used to know as a country of corruption, famine, and floods-is now known as the motherland of microcredit and social business. To many people you are a 'banker to the poor,' but to me you are also a dreamer and a teacher, who can teach how to unleash the unlimited potential in every human being. You have touched millions of hearts: by teaching them how to be financially free and by encouraging them to live up to their dream. I know you and Grameen Bank have been going through some testing time. But let me assure you this: whatever is the outcome of the current situation, it will only be the best for you and your dream to create a poverty free world. While the world has benefited a great deal from your thoughts and ideas, a lot more needs to be done in the future 'to send poverty to the museum'. Therefore, we cannot surrender to evil forces; rather we must gain strength from this struggle to help you become stronger than ever before to fight poverty. I have no doubt that your microcredit and social business programmes will only get stronger after emerging from the current situation. Millions of people in Bangladesh and around the world wish you to live long and wish your dream to come true. Dr Rokon Bhuiyan Assistant Professor Department of Economics California State University, Fullerton E-mail: mobhuiyan@Exchange.FULLERTON.EDU