Kohima, June 21 (EMN): With a view to break away from conventional trading norms and mindsets and to redefine the branding of Nagaland and Manipur as ‘land-locked’ states to that of ‘land-linked’ states, a one-day ‘Regional Business Meet’ was held in Kohima at the Jubilee Memorial Hall Lerie, bringing together first generation entrepreneurs from both states for the first time.
The event, organised by Entrepreneurs Associates (EA), highlighted the fact that the two neighbouring states are in-land trade routes for SAARC and ASEAN economies, particularly with the proposed trans-national highway set to run through both states, and acknowledging the need to engage local entrepreneurs in making the states ‘trade corridors’ for India and ASEAN through a common market vision.
“For a long time we have allowed people to define us –that we are insurgency torn states, that banks are not going to do business in Nagaland and Manipur, that we cannot do business because of extortion and taxation, that we do not have good roads, that we are landlocked, that there are not enough population in Nagaland and Manipur,” asserted Neichute Doulo, CEO of EA.
Stating that insurgency has been conveniently blamed for the lack of visible economic development in the two states, Doulo maintained that insurgency has been around for decades but the challenge was to live with it, survive through it, and explore ways to thrive economically. He was of the opinion that despite the absence of market equilibrium coupled with political conflicts, trade and business must take place and for that to happen, opportunities must be created by the people/entrepreneurs themselves.
He pointed out that the markets in the two states were filled by non-local entrepreneurs, and asked whether this trend should be allowed to continue even on the trans-national highway along the two states.
“We tend to think that opportunities lie elsewhere, but let me tell you today that there are opportunities here in Nagaland and Manipur,” Doulo stated, pointing out that they only needed to change mindset and find out “what is doable”.
Resource person, editor of Imphal Free Press, Pradip Phanjoubam said there are three different types of successes in business – those who get rich under suspicious circumstances, those who are very talented but are self centred, and then those who are talented and successful but transcend the idea of business and make efforts for building community, bringing connectivity and healthy competitiveness.
Touching upon the opportunities and realities of the two linked states, Phanjoubam stressed on the aspect of the need for empathy among the people. He was of the view that being able to know one’s own limitations and understanding what others are going through was very important while building connectivity.
Also noting that the people of the two states were interconnected, he asserted that it was time that the people broke free from the ‘prisons of perspectives and old prejudices’. He emphasized on the need to shift thoughts from ‘who am I?’ to ‘What would I be without you?’
Editor of The Morung Express, Dr Aküm Longchari, who was also a resource person at the meet, maintained that the land-linked geography and history of Manipur and Nagaland ensure that the people of the two states are interdependent and interconnected.
Nevertheless, given the geography, histories and political situation, he said the existing situation of the two states require one to locate the question of inter-state trade within a decolonization framework, which in turn suggests the need to understand and define inter-state trade primarily as one of inter-cultural and cross-cultural relations.
“By (re)defining inter-state trade as one of inter-cultural and cross-cultural relations, our shared humanity will realize benefits for everyone because our human aspirations assume the foundational stone in building common ground, and our inter-dependent and inter-connected nature become our guiding principles,” Longchari said.
He expounded that in today’s interdependent world, the interrelationship between trade and peace was more acute and critical to human co-existence and the vision of a shared humanity. While acknowledging that cross-border trade has a vital role in recovery and reconciliation efforts, he underscored the need for important changes to policy and practice to help harness its peace building potential and avoid intensifying conflict.
Further commenting that the future of the people of Manipur and Nagaland were deeply intertwined, he stressed on the need for them to share their stories, listen to each other and define their problems and solutions together. “It is essential that we do not allow the State to tell our stories for us and to define the problems for us and to offer solutions that do not meet the basic needs of our circumstances”.
He said entrepreneurs were in a unique position to build economic links across both cultural and political divide and such partnerships, he maintained, would provide for cultivating cross-cultural relationships and overcoming exclusive perceptions of each other.
Towards this end, he suggested entrepreneurs could initiate a cross cultural dialogue and a diplomatic discourse in creating conditions to propel cross-cultural trade and vibrant highways. He also stated while entrepreneurs and business associations should be invited to work together to promote high standards of entrepreneurial integrity, while also identify resources that could be shared as a means to establish inter-dependencies and provide incentives to encourage cooperation, collaboration and collective action that cuts across political and cultural divides.
Entrepreneurs who shared their experiences at the meet include L Kiran from Meira Foods (Manipur), Yanpvuo Kikon from Nagaland and Gopen Moses, a social entrepreneur from Manipur. The programme was supported by ASPORA Nagaland Ltd. and TATA Trust.
