Beyond and ahead

‘I do not know of anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work’His childhood is influenced by the city of palaces, gardens, and temples but Neite Kapfo, despite having lived outside the State for 25 years now, still has a close affiliation with his roots. Growing up in the serenity South India, he got his early education from Demonstration School, Mysore, and went on to complete his graduation in Criminology, Psychology & Sociology from SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, Mysore.
Even as he took on his further studies and finished his Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Mysore University in 1999, specialising in Human Resources, he recalls that he’d always wanted to become an IPS Officer. With no regrets in his voice for becoming a Human Resources Professional, he gladly states that God had other plans for him.
In his 10 years of working as a professional, he has worked in many MNCs and says that every experience has helped him grow step by step. He started his career as Executive-Branch Operations for a company called Radiant Software Pvt. Ltd in Mysore in 2000. Over the years, he has worked for iSeva Systems, Bangalore, as Technical Consultant in 2003, Accenture Services as HR Co-ordinator in the same year and was part of the Campus Recruitment Team till 2005.
Then he moved to Ranal Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd as HR Executive and was taking care of Bangalore and Pune offices till 2008. Subsequently, he worked in Johnson Controls as Deputy Manager-HR and headed the South India operations.
With this vast experience in hand, today he works as the Manager-Human Resources in a Japanese company called Amada India Pvt. Ltd which has nine offices in India. He firmly believes that his position as the Head of the Human Resources for Indian Operations is a result of hard work, commitment and determination.
Talking about his varied experiences, he expressed that every time he moves to another company, it is the level of job satisfaction that he looks for. He says that the salary is, of course, an important factor, but further explains that for him, job satisfaction is engaging in the kind of job where one’s knowledge and skills can be utilised to maximum, wherein one can also see room for learning and improvement.
A man of zealous spirit, he says that he does not like to take up positions where there is not much to do. “This results in laziness and lack of commitment towards the job one has been recruited for,” he voices and adds, “To me, job satisfaction is the result of delivering high performance.”
But with all the satisfaction he feels, the ride wasn’t easy for somebody who has literally lived away from home. He admits to having faced discrimination at times for belonging to a different cultural and social , but resolutely states that it did not deter him from achieving his goals although his journey was filled with ups and downs. By now, he has also being rewarded and recognised for his contribution in the places he has worked. He simply quotes that “Where there is a will, there is always a way”.
He does have a role model who goes by the name Mr. Narayan Murthy, Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies. He says that it inspired him to learn that a big corporate like Infosys was started with a meagre investment of Rs.10000 which Narayan Murthy borrowed from his wife Sudha Murthy. “These people underwent a lot of sacrifices, but it was due to their sheer determination and hard work that they became successful” he maintains.
Even as a Naga living outside, he is concerned for the welfare of the youth and although he admits that his knowledge on the unemployment issue in Nagaland will be limited, he emphasises that the mindset of sticking to government jobs should change. “I always tell young people to look beyond Nagaland for employment and growth,” he further says while impressing that entry of private players, big and small, will definitely boost employment opportunities.
Pointing to the fact that BPO companies run after graduate students from North East and even Nagas are no exception, he goes on to explain that “when we have such talent, I think it is high time the government wakes up and does something about it.”
He voices concern that a lot of money is being spent employing others to do the various jobs that anyone of us can and states, “If we employ our own people then we can make everyone can earn a decent living.” In this regard, he feels that a priority should be to take awareness on dignity of labour to a higher level.
As for him, he does intend to come to Nagaland some day. “Yes, I would definitely like to settle in Nagaland,” he says. But then, leaving it all to destiny, he goes on to state that one can never predict what’s in store for the future.
In his keenness to impart his experiences and learning to fellow Nagas and see that the work culture in Nagaland changes for the better, professionally, it is one of his aspirations to prove to the Naga people that working in the private sector is not bad after all. “It’s where you can utilise your skills to the maximum and competition is at the highest level resulting in personal and professional growth,” he states.
Touching further on future plans, he feels there is still a long way to go before achieving his aspirations. But he wishes to start his own company one day, concentrating mainly in the field of Human Resource consulting and technology.
His family moved to Mysore back in 1984 from Kohima, with his father, Dr. Kedutso Kapfo, working as an Associate Professor and Head of Language Planning in Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore. Dr Kapfo is himself a recipient of the Rashtrya Gaurav Award in the field of science and education. His mother, Rongsenla, is a homemaker, while his younger sister, Wethroe, is pursuing a Fellow Programme in Biotechnology in Mahajana’s PG Center, Mysore, and his brother, Alo, is working as Business Consultant in a company called Eka Plus in Bangalore. South India has become a second home for them.
And keeping his Naga connection alive and thriving, he served as the President of the Naga Students’ Union Bangalore from 2006-07 and is presently the Advisor to the Union and Chakhesang Union Bangalore as well as the Treasurer for the Naga Christian Fellowship Bangalore.
He lives by the rule that there is no substitute to hard work and determination. “I do not know of anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. I also live by the rule of simple living and high thinking.”