The Background

Tage Rita stepped up as her name was called up on March 8, 2022, when the entire globe was celebrating the accomplishments of inspiring female role models under the umbrella of International Women's Day 2022. She received the coveted award of Nari Shakti Puraskar from the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, while dressed in the magnificent traditional clothing of the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh; India. She was recognised for her achievements in promoting women's business and local products on a global scale. The proud netizens of Arunachal Pradesh remained glued to their screens as she accepted the award while displaying the state's strong women empowerment to the rest of the country. So, who is she and what is the back-story to her phenomenal success as a businesswoman?

Tage Rita Takhe, to be precise, is from the Hong village in Arunachal Pradesh's Ziro valley and is widely regarded as one of the state's most powerful female personalities. She is a proud daughter of a farmer and a descendant of the Apatani indigenous clan. Taking her initial steps towards her future, she started her education from the NERIST (North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology) of Nirjuli, Arunachal Pradesh. From there, she trained to pursue the career of an Agricultural engineer in the Rural Works Department of Arunachal Pradesh. The pace of life was steady but who was to know that one day she will emerge as a successful business woman from the state. It was on 2015 when ideas started rolling as the State Wine Policy came into being which was meant to aid the emerging local entrepreneurs interested in the profession of winemaking.

Story behind Naara Aaba

 It was on 1st January 2016 when she along with her husband Takhe Tamo laid the foundation of their winery. Soon after just one year on October 2017, it launched the first Indian pure organic kiwi wine called as “Naara Aaba,” and the business bloomed making all the differences. The name given to the wine is a sincere tribute to her late father-in-law. But what is it that makes the wine extra special?

Going into the whole technical process of producing Naara Aaba, one can notice that the wine is completely organic. The ingredients used in the making of the wine like the fruits; yeast and sugar too are all organic. Rita believes in the potential of it as an organic wine as she expresses that she wants the natural taste to prevail in the wine. “It is a healthier drink for conscious drinkers” she says.

After the fruits are collected, they go through all sorts of technical processes like the checking measurements, cold-stabilization, filtration, bottling and capping etc. At the end, comes out a delightful organic wine that is loved by many. Initially made from kiwis, upon recently they have introduced different tastes to the wine such as pear, peach etc.

Apart from her success as an ever thriving entrepreneur of Arunachal Pradesh, she does more than just making money out of her career. She is a generator of employment herself. She has employed many of the school and college dropout students under her aegis. This has helped them a lot in making their ends meet and be productive instead of sitting idle. Even elderly people are welcomed to participate in the initial making of Naara Aaba. All of the people employed are involved in various processes of production such as sorting, winemaking and sales.

Tage’s Recognitions

Her generosity and good deeds are not going unrecognised and she has been conferred with various awards. She was one of the recipients of Vasundhara Award from SreemantaSankara Mission (SSM), Guwahati in 2017. She was also honoured with the award of Pioneer Women Entrepreneur of Ziro, Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh by Helping Hands, a Delhi based NGO headed by Shri Robin Hibu (IPS) in 2017 along with the Innovative Entrepreneur Award of 2017 by SMILE ZIRO, a renowned NGO of Ziro valley. In 2018, she was honoured with the Women Transforming India Awards which was organized by the United Nations and NITI Aayog. She was also felicitated and provided citation by the Hon. Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Brig. Dr. B.D. Mishra (Retd) in the same year. The Department of Women and Child Development, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh also presented Rita with a Certificate of Appreciation in 2020. Along with many other awards and honours, she recently made the headline of the nation as she received the Nari ShaktiPuraskar on the auspicious occasion of International Women’s Day this year.

Tackling the Hardships

As an emerging women entrepreneur, she has faced and still faces her own sets of hurdles and hindrances in the path. In this long run, Tage Rita has always been thankful to the Agricultural Produce Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Ministry of Trade and Industry under the aegis of which she started her journey as an entrepreneur. She is also forever grateful towards her loyal customers like the local populace and defence personnel posted in the region. But one powerful force behind her success we cannot miss is her loving companion Takhe Tamo. Replying to the question on how it all started, she confessed that the idea started over a glass of wine itself. In fact Tamo being a lover of wines shared his suggestion on having a winery of their own. She admits that he has been a great motivation in laying the foundation of what is known today as a reputed organic drink of the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Tage Rita’s entrepreneurial journey is an inspiration to the budding entrepreneurs from the state. “It’s not simply making wine; it’s me inside. I am representing my state Arunachal Pradesh,” she exclaimed happy and proud in one of her interview, as she progresses towards a better tomorrow.