Madhusudan_Das

174 Madhusudan Das:
amount of the demand and the means of its production he
must possess the art of superintendence and administration. In
the course of such complex operation there are an abundance of
obstacles to be surmounted, of anxieties to be repressed, of
misfortunes to be repaired and of expedients to be devised. 12
Apparently Mr. Das falls short of this blueprint of an entrepreneur but a
closer examination of his personality will reveal new shades taking him
closer to the hero.
Not only Say, but since the times of St. Augustine of Florence
many economists like Cantillon, Smith, Marshall, Mill and others had
recognized the role of the entrepreneur through different designations
like master, merchant, manager, superintendent, controller etc. 13 It was
left to Joseph A. Schumpeter to adumbrate that what the prince of Denmark
is to the play of Hamlet, the entrepreneur is that to economic growth; he
has become thus the central figure and indispensable entity in the dramas
of socio-economic change. I4 Entrcpreneurship and newness go together:
new product, new market, new method, new raw material or new
organization . There is innovation. Innovation is:
...any thought, behaviour or thing that is new because it is
qualitatively different from existing forms. Strictly speaking an
innovation is an idea or a constellation of ideas but some
innovations by their nature must remain mental organizations
only, whereas others may be given overt and tangible expressions.
Innovation is therefore a comprehensive term covering all kinds
of mental constructs, whether they can be given sensible
representation or not... All innovations are qualitative departures
from habitual patterns irrespective of qualitative changes". 15
And "to act with confidence beyond the range of familiar beacons and to
overcome that resistance requires aptitudes that are present in only a
small fraction of the population". The entrepreneur does not act only for
profit he has the "will to found a kingdom, to conquer, to fight- not for
the fruits of success but of success itself -- the joy of creating, getting.
things done or simply of exercising one's energy and ingenuity." 16 It is
the "play impulse" against the background of uncertainty and the desire
to discover. 17 One may, but he need not be the inventor of goods or
processes, the investor of capital; it is not the ownership that counts but it
is the urge for leadership that makes one an entrepreneur, 'the drive (or
instinct) to creative activity is generic." 18