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Haizeuyi selling dumplings near the DGC in Dimapur.[/caption]
Haichikambe Pame
Dimapur, June 9: Perusing a newspaper in the morning can be a dispiriting appraisal to start the day in Nagaland. More often than not, articles about unemployment, corruption, allegations, communalism, etc. make the content of the newspaper. Recently the advisor for Skill Development, Kazheto Kinimi stated that there were more than 70, 000 unemployed youths registered at the directorate of Employment in Nagaland.
The audience just read about them and talk all the more without really doing something to solve the issues. Indeed Nagaland and unemployment have become synonymous. And, corruption is the word distinctly found in the dictionary of the state.
However, Nagas are known to be very reliant on government jobs and scores of educated youth fritter away their precious years anticipating them. Had those squandered years been utilised for other productive means, corruption and unemployment wouldn’t be talked about as much as it does today. In contrast ‘dignity of labour’ sounds passé and the Nagas have perception of indignity in certain labour. It is perceived by many that professions such as barber, electrician, painter, vendor etc. are for non-locals. And that is leaving many Nagas dependent on govt. jobs.
There is this girl who has built a niche in the midst of dependency. She worked as a waitress in a hotel for few months. She deciphered that the hotel was earning decently and that had she managed her own she would had been well off by then. That was when she left the hotel and started her own enterprise. She started making packed tiffins at home and sells them in schools and hostels around Dimapur. She would cook chicken and pork and packed them together with rice for just INR 30 per tiffin. She would also deliver them at their doorsteps whenever she received orders.
That was just the beginning. Now, Haizeuyi would be found sitting outside the gate at Dimapur Government College (DGC), selling packed “momo” (dumplings) beating heat and sweats.
Haizeuyi’s momos have in no time become many students’ favourite on the go snack. Her momos are made of vegetables and meat fillings inside a steamed wheat flour bun. In addition, she sometimes sells chowmein too!
Haizeuyi’s daily schedule has been more or less the same. “I go to the market at 6 am to buy meat, cut the meat and start making momos by 8-9 am. It is steamed and served hot to students by afternoon. Many lectures are also gradually falling into my momos,” she grinned. She returns home at 3 pm.
Rangtalak, a 3rd semester student studying at DGC stated that students are attracted towards her momos because they are cheaper. He said that she has a good attitude in dealing with the students. He further mentioned that she understands the students well and has no problem selling on credits too.
Speaking to the Eastern Mirror, Haizeuyi said that she has five brothers and three sisters. Except her two brothers, others are still pursuing their education. She admitted that she started the business out of her own interest to create a source of income for herself and help her family. When asked whether she was doing it by choice or by circumstance, she replied emphatically, “I am absolutely doing it with my own free will.”
Haizeuyi’s venture is not going to end anytime soon. She said she has a team that supports her and that they are looking forward to build a restaurant and expand the business in the near future. Her team members are pursuing their graduation.
Haizeuyi earns about INR 900 on average every day. That amounts to INR 27, 000 a month!
Haizeuyi acknowledged that her father was recently diagnosed with a serious sickness (not mentioned) and that she had managed to treat him at Eden Medical Centre in Dimapur. She said, “I was able to save my father’s life only because of my momos. I thank God for all His blessings.”
Haizeuyi’s message to people leading a dependent life: “Stop wasting your parents’ money. Do something; it doesn’t matter whether the work is big or small as long as you get something in return. Be brave and be creative and never be shy because shyness will give you a problem in future. Do something for yourself today, without which you will live to regret in the future. Remember all the successful people today, they were like me once. It only matters what you do today. Keep aside all your ego, pride, and self-righteous attitude. Remember, you should not be a liability to your family and society.”
