Sanyi Dukru belongs to the generation that sang along the melodious tunes of Jim Reeves but one can still see the zealous spirit in him, the passion with which his life became an instrument for inspiration.
He is a ‘young at heart’ whose ambition never seemed to fail for they also say “Hard work always pays’.
His daring quality is one of the things that appeal to me. I believe his audacity has led him to achieve far more than he expected himself. His story reminds one of the traditional Naga life and the simplicity with which education was at its nascent stage in our land. He got married in the year 1982 while he was still in high school, in Class 8 to be precise, and studied further after marriage.
With such nostalgic reminiscence, he recalls how he worked at a sawmill after class and earned Rs 40 per day. It takes patience and dedication but in three years time, he had saved Rs.4000. What came after that was the birth of a dream.
Who would have thought of buying a Tree with the money that came from a long-term saving. But he did, and with that experience, he realised the prospect of Timber Business, which he eventually took up and has never left it since.
But no field of enterprise is without hardship. He’s had his own struggles. He has endured uncountable number of threats and extortions. And even if he had to carry around bruises on his face, he said yes to ‘Business’. And that’s how I think he is one of the pioneers in this field.
Yet his venture isn’t confined to timber. His heart runs out for agriculture as a whole. To which end, he expresses “Nagaland has no industry but we have our land. We do not have to be discouraged and we are privileged that land ownership is solely ours”.
He goes on to add that “agriculture is like a goldmine, and if we are serious on this, we don’t have to depend on the government. We have everything…God has blessed us with so much and we need to make use of it.” For him, work speaks even as he strictly maintains “work is our testimony”. “We shouldn’t look for easy money” is what he strongly stands for.
Today, all the hard work he has put has reaped him rich rewards. One could safely say that he owns one of the biggest farms in Phek district, stretching out to an area of 10 hectares and accommodating varieties types of things that could fit into a farm.
His Farmhouse oversees an orchard of kiwis (4000 in number), apples, 2500 and plums in 600 and currently employs 6 families. He doesn’t only stick to the traditional way of growing trees but he makes it a point to prune it every year and keeps it at 6 feet in order that, when the trees bear fruit, they are not out of reach and compelled to fall waste. It also interests me to learn that poultry and goatery have their place here, making it possible to extract 100 litres of milk everyday from the farm.
Without any doubt, he is an outgoing man who loves to interact with people, to learn and to share. Although complete formal education eluded him, he has never missed out any further opportunity to learn. In his varied experience of pursuing business, he says that the “most challenging thing in business is discovering that people are not honest”.
But he works with a future vision and believes in making a difference. Currently serving as the Chairman of Razeba Marketing Sub-Committee, it is also his dream that all the four villages in the Razeba area would be declared vegetable villages in the years to come as it has rich produce of organic vegetables especially potatoes and cabbage. It may be noted here that two villages in the Razeba area including Zhavame and Tsüfüme have already been declared Vegetable Village in the past few years.
He also served as the President of Nagaland Timber Trade Association (NTTA) and is presently the President of NTTA Phek District.
On a more personal note, he affectionately talks of his family and is a proud father of 9 talented daughters. Our tradition may tend to shift focus on sons but contented to be blessed with these daughters, he expresses that “the challenge of bringing up 3 sons is equivalent to grooming 9 daughters as girls are much more obedient and easier to teach”.
Also an avid traveller, he has been to every nook and corner of Nagaland but something that saddens him more than irritate him is people’s irresponsibility. “It hurts me to see people giving a damn for government property.” Although not exactly a person who encourages the young generation to opt for government service, he is a champ when it comes to dedicating oneself to an ambition that always needs to be accompanied by dedication.
Did I mention he is young at heart? He absolutely believes that our people are very creative and he himself has not deviated from it. He is a great Photographer too!
He is a ‘young at heart’ whose ambition never seemed to fail for they also say “Hard work always pays’.
His daring quality is one of the things that appeal to me. I believe his audacity has led him to achieve far more than he expected himself. His story reminds one of the traditional Naga life and the simplicity with which education was at its nascent stage in our land. He got married in the year 1982 while he was still in high school, in Class 8 to be precise, and studied further after marriage.
With such nostalgic reminiscence, he recalls how he worked at a sawmill after class and earned Rs 40 per day. It takes patience and dedication but in three years time, he had saved Rs.4000. What came after that was the birth of a dream.
Who would have thought of buying a Tree with the money that came from a long-term saving. But he did, and with that experience, he realised the prospect of Timber Business, which he eventually took up and has never left it since.
But no field of enterprise is without hardship. He’s had his own struggles. He has endured uncountable number of threats and extortions. And even if he had to carry around bruises on his face, he said yes to ‘Business’. And that’s how I think he is one of the pioneers in this field.
Yet his venture isn’t confined to timber. His heart runs out for agriculture as a whole. To which end, he expresses “Nagaland has no industry but we have our land. We do not have to be discouraged and we are privileged that land ownership is solely ours”.
He goes on to add that “agriculture is like a goldmine, and if we are serious on this, we don’t have to depend on the government. We have everything…God has blessed us with so much and we need to make use of it.” For him, work speaks even as he strictly maintains “work is our testimony”. “We shouldn’t look for easy money” is what he strongly stands for.
Today, all the hard work he has put has reaped him rich rewards. One could safely say that he owns one of the biggest farms in Phek district, stretching out to an area of 10 hectares and accommodating varieties types of things that could fit into a farm.
His Farmhouse oversees an orchard of kiwis (4000 in number), apples, 2500 and plums in 600 and currently employs 6 families. He doesn’t only stick to the traditional way of growing trees but he makes it a point to prune it every year and keeps it at 6 feet in order that, when the trees bear fruit, they are not out of reach and compelled to fall waste. It also interests me to learn that poultry and goatery have their place here, making it possible to extract 100 litres of milk everyday from the farm.
Without any doubt, he is an outgoing man who loves to interact with people, to learn and to share. Although complete formal education eluded him, he has never missed out any further opportunity to learn. In his varied experience of pursuing business, he says that the “most challenging thing in business is discovering that people are not honest”.
But he works with a future vision and believes in making a difference. Currently serving as the Chairman of Razeba Marketing Sub-Committee, it is also his dream that all the four villages in the Razeba area would be declared vegetable villages in the years to come as it has rich produce of organic vegetables especially potatoes and cabbage. It may be noted here that two villages in the Razeba area including Zhavame and Tsüfüme have already been declared Vegetable Village in the past few years.
He also served as the President of Nagaland Timber Trade Association (NTTA) and is presently the President of NTTA Phek District.
On a more personal note, he affectionately talks of his family and is a proud father of 9 talented daughters. Our tradition may tend to shift focus on sons but contented to be blessed with these daughters, he expresses that “the challenge of bringing up 3 sons is equivalent to grooming 9 daughters as girls are much more obedient and easier to teach”.
Also an avid traveller, he has been to every nook and corner of Nagaland but something that saddens him more than irritate him is people’s irresponsibility. “It hurts me to see people giving a damn for government property.” Although not exactly a person who encourages the young generation to opt for government service, he is a champ when it comes to dedicating oneself to an ambition that always needs to be accompanied by dedication.
Did I mention he is young at heart? He absolutely believes that our people are very creative and he himself has not deviated from it. He is a great Photographer too!
Nice post! Beautiful and inspirational!
ReplyDeleteThank you :))
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