A tale of local entrepreneurship in Arunachal Pradesh

A tale of local entrepreneurship in Arunachal Pradesh

07 Jan,2022 06:02 PM, by: Tanuel Nonang
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Ever given a thought to how you wanted to be something that you are not now? It is undeniably a fact that many of us might have given up approaching a path that could have changed a lot in our lives. You feel like stuck in a pond full of fish with so many aspirations and goals. When competition is tough, how do you set up a successful career? Mantra is simple.

Just keep swimming!

Hailing from ChambangChimpgi in the KraDaadi district of Arunachal Pradesh, Tanya Priya had nothing planned in her mind that she would one day become a young budding successful entrepreneur from the state. Like most of the Arunachalis, she had a soft corner for cooking. Coming from a middle-class family in Arunachal Pradesh where farming has been the main occupation of the local residents for ages, the journey had its ups and downs with financial instability being the main concern.

A New Start

Perfecting your skill is a must if you want to stand out amongst the competing business entities. Realising this, she took up lessons on the advanced level of culinary art from Delhi where she polished her skills in the preparation of pastries, confectionaries, and beverages. As for the basic knowledge in baking, her proficiency in the field was already up to the mark with her experiences in home cooking. Finally, on the 12th of November 2016, the ‘Cakes and Bakes’, a confectionary store and institute, was established in Naharlagun. Founded by Tanya Priya and Minakshee Dutta, the culinary institute is devoted to imparting training to the baking enthusiasts from the state and those budding bakers who want to take it up as their profession.

Since then, the establishment has taken a good flight towards supporting other aspiring entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh in the line of baking. Priya now supervises a workforce that includes 4 people working diligently as a team. Every year from time to time they organise numerous programs that provide training to the participants. Till now they have conducted training programs for more than 2000 trainees covering various courses essential for the profession like the diploma training course where the trainees are taught the advanced level of culinary arts and techniques pertaining to the same. These courses include the felicitation and certification of the trainees too. As the motto of the institute goes, it strives to help empower self-employed people all over the state.

“No job is small or big.” –Priya

There is no shortcut to success. Crops are harvested only if you sow your seeds with determination and hard work. Perseverance is the key. Even if you are starting from scratch which most of us do, she says, “Aspire what you love. No job is small or big. The things you wish to do, you should do wholeheartedly.” While not many people would suggest following the path of an entrepreneurial career, the upside of working as an entrepreneur is that you’re directed by your vision and work towards a concept that actually makes sense to you. Arunachal Pradesh is filled with youths who can become successful entrepreneurs if they don’t let their ambitions go astray. Possibilities are so many. One can approach anything they are good at and transform that prowess into a source of earning. Be it a business of selling organic fruits like oranges and kiwis, making bags with beads, selling home-grown indoor plants, running bakery shops or selling self-prepared local chutneys and pickles, etc., anything works as long as the endeavour is constant. In addition to that, as entrepreneurs, you are not only contributing towards the state economy but also realising the goal of self-reliance.

Growing with e-Commerce

The scenario is changing. The remote state of Arunachal Pradesh isn’t what it used to be back then. Digital India has left no stones unturned in transforming the state into a digitally empowered one. By providing social media platforms to promote businesses online, the internet has proved to be a boon for aspiring entrepreneurs like Priya herself. Apart from providing training programs, she is leveraging the WhatsApp platform to take orders for the delicious cakes she and her team prepare and is successfully reaching out to her customers with its use. It is true that e-commerce may not be completely influencing the transaction process in Arunachal Pradesh for local entrepreneurs, but it’s slowly getting there. With WhatsApp used for accepting orders and UPI mode leveraged for online payments, local businesses in Arunachal are evolving gradually; just like Priya.

Scope of entrepreneurship in Arunachal Pradesh

With time, many entrepreneurs especially the local women of the state have started pursuing their own choices of careers lately.

For many of them, setting up their own businesses like pastry shops, self-owned coaching centres, florists, sales, etc. not only offer self-sustenance but is also aiding them in breaking the age/gender barrier in society when it comes to becoming economically independent.

The upside of aspiring entrepreneurs is that the state of Arunachal Pradesh is fostering the development of local businesses through various schemes and policy implementation. Opportunities in the field of tourism, food &agro-based products, handcrafted items, etc. hold vast potential for local entrepreneurs of Arunachal Pradesh.

With continued efforts into the entrepreneurial journey and added support from the Govt., these self-established businesses can expand profitably and generate employment opportunities for others as well as contribute towards the economic development in the state.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Critical Script or its editor.