Renbeni Odyuo ~ Making Sweet Melody

Everything makes her sing, or so she seems to indicate as Renbeni Odyuo sits with no air of pride around her despite being a young achiever. As a little girl, she dreamt of becoming an entertainer.

Today, she is seen more on stage than elsewhere, impacting change through her voice.

But that talent of hers doesn’t seem to grow in the family, because, interestingly, nobody in her family is into singing. Yet, naturally gifted with a beautiful voice, she grew up singing in Sunday school, church, events and festivals. It was probably when overwhelming requests for her performance started flowing in for several occasions that made her think, ‘People actually like my voice and I should do something about it.’

However, she confesses, “I never told myself I am going to be a singer”.

But her big break in the music world happened when she won the Naga Idol 5.10 during 2010 while she was still a student of KL Bajoria College Shillong, waiting for her BA results.

“With singing, I can do so much,” she states confidently as she delves deeper into details and also remembers how the reality show groomed her personality, her style, her music. “For a while, I forgot it was a competition because it was so much fun,” she says, even as she shares, “I have also learnt to take criticism after I started being there on stage...you know, it takes a lot to be judged.”

When she got her due recognition, she didn’t want her tryst with music to end with Naga Idol. Maybe, that’s how her debut album “Essence”, which she fondly dedicates to her parents, came alive. With this new venture, she is also officially a songwriter now having written all the songs in the album herself, apart from two collaborations.

“I’ve always been interested in writing, and was wondering how to express myself,” she says and feels that song-writing is the perfect form of expression in writing for her.

Renbeni is also the Brand Ambassador for NSACS RockAware, which, she confesses, was very unexpected. She admits that at first she had wondered, “Can I carry this off?” But after she started the journey, she says she has learnt so much about the HIV cause as well as about Nagaland itself. Giving an honest comment about her tour to all the districts of Nagaland, she said, “Those of us in Mokokchung, Kohima and Dimapur are so spoilt.”

“I learnt about my State……go to government colleges in the remote areas of Nagaland and all they ask for is a proper toilet, or windows……….it was really emotional for me...in that environment I was supposed to tell them about HIV/AIDS. But even in that condition, they need to know that HIV is a serious issue,” she explains.

Further into the journey, she was offered a job as Youth Consultant by NSACS but she thought, “If I can use my music to spread the message, I can still be a part of it” and declined the offer, which only shows her dedication to singing.

Renbeni does not consider herself a conventional singer even as she adds, “I’ve always wanted to be different. I love acoustic, grew up listening to alternative rock during my college days, and waited for my graduation to make any decision, and now I know I can do so much with singing.”

Has there been any influence on her singing? And she is quick to reply, “Mariah Carey is still an artiste that every aspiring female musician looks up to. Among others, No Doubt and Garbage inspired me.”

She aspires to continue singing, professionally, she adds, though admitting that sometimes it is hard. “We don’t have a proper industry; I don’t know if we have a real music industry…...just trying to sell music is very hard. Making music is easy but selling it is hard, but I don’t want to stop making music, and I advice my fellow musicians not to stop because we are part of the change”, she thoughtfully puts across.

“Commitment is important. If you want to make it happen, you have to perform like it is your last,” she asserts strongly.

She knows that there is still a lot to be done to really have a music industry in the State even as she points out, “To have a proper industry, it does not just take artistes and musicians but management, sound engineering...good sounds, lights, managers, etc.” She says that musicians outside know what they are worth, and are not scared to negotiate the price for their shows. “It is time, people pay respect for our work and we get paid for our efforts. Only then, we can say we are into it professionally”, she insists emphatically.

The NSACS Brand Ambassador has indeed come a long way. Not many people know that she did try modelling and as a kid walked hand in hand with Miss Nagaland Contestants. She also walked the ramp and modelled for Fashion Polytechnic Students in Shillong and the State as well, many of which earned her the Best Model. “This really boosted up my confidence, helped my performance, but I just felt it wasn’t for me.”

And so, it was singing for her. She says that she would love to learn the piano and teach music someday.

For aspiring musicians, she says, “It is important for an artiste to perform. You need to believe in your talent and practice and practice. You have to be versatile. You can talk all you want, people are going to get fed up but singing sounds nice and feels nice.”

Menuolhoulie Kire ~ Lens-eye view of life

Even as he defines ‘Art’ as eternal, Menuolhoulie Kire brings to life the ordinary events of a day through his lens. His passion for photography is obvious as he is rarely spotted without his favourite instrument strung around his neck. “The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of photography is the excitement, the rush of seeing things in a totally new perspective...,” the alumni of IIT Guwahati who describes himself as an ‘ambitious, creative and tenacious professional’ says.His romance with photography started as a hobby somewhere around September in 2008. “It happened when I was doing my Master of Design (M.Des) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. I was into painting during my school and college days so when I joined Design School I naturally got attracted to photography,” he says.
 
He never took any photography courses, but his work today speaks volumes of the passion and love he has for this art. He confesses that the ‘little skills’ he has are through learning from online tutorials and videos and ‘continuously pushing myself to the limit’. As a child, he actually wanted to become an architect, but insists, “I would say I am living my childhood dream being in a creative field as a Product Designer and Photographer.”
Menuolhoulie emphasises the importance of a creative mind in this art. “Nowadays technology and equipments are easily accessible to everyone, but it’s your creativity that will make your identity and get people to appreciate and notice your work,” he said. For him, good cameras are a bonus, but it can make a difference only if you know what you can do with it.
The greatest challenge, he feels, is to swim against the tide and not losing your focus on your dreams.
But how does a normal day for a photographer looks like? To this, he enthusiastically says, “A normal day for a photographer involves a lot of running around, clicking, shouting, seeing new places, meeting new people and coming back with lots of beautiful memories.”
Indeed, his passion has earned him due recognition, some of which comes in the form of winning in competitions including Photography Competition, Techniche, Technical Festival of IIT Guwahati in 2008, Photography Competition, Alcheringa, Cultural Festival of IIT Guwahati in 2009, Photography Competition, Alcheringa, Cultural Festival of IIT Guwahati during 2010, Hornbill International Photography Competition 2010, Horsepower Challenge 2011 Photography Competition, and Hornbill International Photography Fest 2011 respectively in varying levels.
The 25-year-old has only been shooting professionally since early 2010 but has come a long way capturing the essence of living in print. He’s into all kinds of shoots ranging from weddings, portraits, fashion, sports, products, concerts to nature but professes that weddings, concerts and still life are his personal favourites.
The profession is still at a starting phase in the State...but Menuolhoulie states: “There are lots of people jumping into it which makes the market even bigger and more competitive...clients will start getting to know the different style of each photographer and the market will pick up from there.”
Prior to coming back home, he also worked as a design intern at Industrial Design Inc. Gurgaon for 3 months besides working as an Assistant Project Engineer (Design Content Generation) at IIT Guwahati for a year. He came back to Nagaland because, in his words, “I wanted to come back home and live my passion and chase my dreams...”
According to him, the best part of his profession is ‘to be able to capture beautiful memories of people’.
His interest has further expanded to furniture and product designing, which he describes as an equal passion as photography and yes, the young photographer also loves writing short poetry. It comes as no surprise that he dreams of seeing himself surrounded by good design and beautiful photographs five years from now.
The talented young man behind the lens is a product of Kohima Science College after which he graduated in B.Tech (Electrical Engineering) from North Eastern Regional Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh, in 2008.
You can get a sneak peek of his works in his facebook page https://www.facebook.com/M.Kire.photography.

Aien Jamir ~ The Sweetest Thing

Like many others, she confesses that when asked about her ambition in life as a kid, a doctor naturally came to mind, which, ‘sadly didn’t happen’ in her own words. But Aien Jamir laughs it off and quickly adds instead, “But I am happy with what I am today and satisfied with my endeavour. After all, this is what I love doing...” She is a baker by profession, and a really good one at that, who was earlier selected along with 9 others to take up a 9-month vocational course in the United Kingdom by way of a joint scholarship from the Nagaland Government and Llandrillo College International Wales under CM’s Corpus Fund during 2007.
There, she opted for Food Preparation and Cooking (Bakery) and, on completion of the first 9-month course, she took an additional higher course for another 9 months in Professional Cookery (Patisserie and Confectionery). Prior to that, Aien did her early schooling from Kohima English School (now known as Mezhür) till her seventh grade after which she finished her matriculation from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and later graduated from Jyoti Nivas College, Bangalore.
Recalling her UK experience as ‘amazing’, she says, “Everyday I was learning something new. Our chefs were always helpful and friendly and I looked forward to going to class every morning.”
Today, she caters to baking products that range from theme based birthday cakes for children to wedding cakes and desserts from home. Although she’s had professional training in this aspect, her interest for baking goes a long way back. “I had always been interested in cooking and baking since I was small. Thanks to my Dad who was a great cook, I would go to the kitchen every time he would cook and watch him. My interest expanded to baking and with the help of my aunt, who is a great baker, I started learning the basics,” she says.
The youngest among 3 daughters, Aien feels that no special skill is required to be a baker but insists that it is all in the interest one has in wanting to learn. I think she exemplifies true love for what she does when she says, “I consider myself successful in my profession and I am very passionate about my work.”
With a little shift taking place in the job sector, she hopes this will give some sort of confidence for those who are hesitant to look beyond the government job mindset. “I feel a lot of people are focused only on getting themselves a Government job as they feel there is more security in it,” she expresses.
The bubbly and open minded baker also sees growth and potential in her own field even as she explains, “Yes, because these days, especially for weddings and big occasions, people are looking for quality products. I see a lot of demand but just not enough supply so there is a lot of scope and prospect.”

But, of course, noting that there is a limited supply of baking tools, products and accessories in our State, she also feels that this is her biggest challenge... “So I am usually trying to improvise with what is available.”
She has catered to various sections of people, starting from family and friends to theme based birthday cakes for children, to wedding cakes and desserts. But she recalls her most memorable and biggest order as the former State DGP's daughter's wedding wherein she catered to a wide range of people.
The most common flavour people order is chocolate based, she observes. And she loves the challenge of theme-based projects. “I love working on theme based birthday cakes because my clients request for shapes ranging from guitars to footballs, to dolls and trucks,” she says.
The home-based accomplished baker, who works under the banner ‘The Sweetest Thing’, loves the flexibility of her job and is fascinated by anything to do with food. And for those interested in baking, she enthusiastically advises, “I say go for it and never think there isn't any scope in this field.”
As for herself, Aien hopes to expand her business so that she will be able to cater not just to people in Kohima and Dimapur but in other towns as well.

Miqlat Ministry...the heart of God

Aptly termed “Miqlat” which is a Hebrew word meaning “shelter or refuge”, the Miqlat Ministry came into being in 2004 as an outcome of the celebration of women in the 21st Century during 2001 where Naga Baptist Women came together and felt the need to pursue the social ills of the society with particular emphasis on women.
As its homepage says, the Social Ministry under the Nagaland Baptist Church Council Women Department (NBCCWD) reaches out to the despised and the vulnerable girls and women of the society. The message of the Director of the Ministry, Asha Sanchu goes on to say that, “These women come under the category of sex workers, school drop-outs, sexually exploited and abused and women most vulnerable to infectious diseases. Miqlat envisions empowering these women through the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and restore them the dignity and honour of their womanhood in the likeness of Christ.”
True to its name, “Miqlat exists to be a voice for the voiceless, and to offer refuge and shelter to the broken-hearted mothers and daughters of our Naga society. Miqlat is there to listen to the brokenness of the broken women; stand at their side through prayer, counselling, and encouragement; to provide better alternatives in the best way possible; and thus give them a chance to live a better, hopeful, and dignified life.”
As such its vision statement has been “to share the love of Jesus to those who are living a life of shame, guilt and dejection” apart from imparting quality life by providing alternatives through various means and ways, helping them understand that life is not all about money and enabling them to see life through the eyes of God. It also endeavours to help them be aware of the transmittable diseases such as STDs including HIV/AIDS and bringing them to the knowledge of their Maker, besides strongly advocating against modern day slavery.
The Ministry is solely a faith-based venture running mostly through the support of churches, individuals, friends, and well-wishers and deals not only with the physical, social and emotional well being but also spiritual well being of the needy. With its growth in this aspect, the Miqlat Ministry also has a business set up focusing on “business as mission” with the view to train, empower and offer better alternatives to girls and women, thus enabling them greater prospects in life.
Along this line of enterprise, the products of the Ministry ranges from Greeting Cards for any occasion, Aloe Vera Soap, Candles: Designers, Lanterns, Regular, Tea Coasters, Handloom and Skill Ladies Bags, Mini Pillows with Satin Cover in several colours, Pot Holders, Wedding Favours: Candles and Bags, etc. The NBCCWD Miqlat Ministry stall was also one among the many other stalls at the recently held NBCC Platinum Jubilee Celebration and exhibited creativity and productivity of many skilled women behind the scene.
The exhibited works and products speaks volumes of the many activities that the Ministry undertakes in the form of Services such as Cafeteria, Counselling, Catering and Laundry, or Training on Candle-Making, Card-Making, Embroidery, Tailoring, Sequin and Knitting, Soap Making and other Programs such as Retreats, Seminars, Bible Studies, Outreach and several other activities.
As its Mission Statement reads “To reach out, to touch, to share, to embrace, to empower and to transform”, the Miqlat Ministry can indeed be seen as “Shelter in God’s Wings” as it marches forward to give Hope to people in need, especially women without hope. Such a place is an assurance that the greater cause of humanity still exists and that lives can be altered for better, with a leap of faith.

Carol Humtsoe

Although the fashion world isn’t all glitz and glamour behind the scenes, Carol Humtsoe has come a long way in just a span of three years of being around the Industry. In that short period, she has proved her worth as a model and gone where any aspiring model would dream to be.
The girl from Lakhuti village under Wokha district is the first Naga to have signed a contract with Elite Model Management, which is the world’s most prestigious modelling network and has formerly represented big names like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Ujjwala Raut, Gisele Bunchen, Neha Kapur among others.
So, how did modelling happen to her? To start with, she says, “I wasn’t the most attractive baby out there, never looked pretty in pink, but it’s a twist of destiny that I grew into a model. I think I was in the 8th standard when the glamour bug bit me.”
Along the way, she picked it up and has definitely earned her place as an established model based in New Delhi with a good number of accomplishments to her credit. Among the many events Carol has been part of, she recalls with fondness her experience in Paris, which, she sums up as….“Paris in a breath of second, I was chosen as a model to go there for the biggest hair competition in the world. It was one week of paradise.”
Quite obviously, she has done several shoots for India Fashion Week previews besides been featured in Fashion magazines both nationally and internationally. Modelling, she says, is “a fun job, but not without hard-work. It is a job at the end of the day. The studio is our workplace or sometimes it’s in places like Ladakh or Paris, work happens anywhere.”
She insists on ‘learning’ through all her professional experiences and even though she has worked with a lot of different people in the field, she is particularly delighted to have worked with amazing photographers (as she puts it) including Tarun Vishwa, Anushka Menon, Rahul Dutta, Charudutt Chitrak, Ashish Chawla etc and designers such as Varun Bahl, Atsu Sekhose, Abdul Halder to name a few.
She says she has enjoyed working with everyone, but makes special mention of a recent film she did with Balaji telefilms, Kya superkool hai hum. “It was my first movie in Bollywood and I had a lot of fun”, she says.
When asked what it takes to get where she is today, she simply states, “Patience in a word. But apart from that, not eating what you want to, taking care of your health, a lot of passion to see you through a dull day and yes, sincerity to your job.”
So, is she living her childhood dream? The bubbly, confident model, who describes herself as “pretty basic, on the go and fun loving” expresses, “I was pretty clueless as a child and I think I have come a long way from where it started. I may not be living the classic dream but I want to believe that I am on the way...”
When it comes to fashion in the State, Carol feels Nagaland has a lot of potential. “People outside our State are inspired by our fashion sense, I think it’s time the Government supports the fashion boom. It is serious business all over the world, we should cash on it too.”
She thinks “we are quite trendy” even as she observes that Nagas are on the dot in terms of clothes. “We take risks and it’s not only the young people as such, everyone is fun to watch,” she says.
As for her, she sees herself around the fashion industry even five years from now, maybe modelling still or maybe not. “I don’t mind being a business woman. Maybe I will open a store,” she adds.
In another interview, Carol had said, “It is not easy to be an oriental looking model in the Indian modelling scene...my looks are far from the conventional look, so that was and is still my biggest challenge but only losers give up and I am not one. The fact is that my passion is stronger than my setback.”
Her passion, I believe, is the force that has driven her thus far.

The force that keeps the city moving

The life of a traffic policeman is hardly ever noticed. They are part of our everyday life but hidden behind their more than valuable duty and often the target of our frustrations.
And not everybody knows that ‘duty’ for a traffic cop means waking up in spite of wanting to sleep a little longer, standing still even when longing for a little rest, keeping one’s cool even when angry, and sacrificing family time for the greater good of the public.
It surely takes a big dose of passion and dedication to be in such a profession for over 30 years. Lorhu Rhuo, who joined Nagaland Police in 1981 as a Constable, is testimony to this overwhelming social service. He has seen the growth of vehicles from a handful of 2-3 buses and few ambassador cars that ran as taxis in the early eighties to thousands of assorted vehicles crowding the narrow streets of Kohima today.

He recalls the remarkable increase in traffic during 1989-90 in the State capital when the pinch of parking and other challenges started to surface. But he has survived the nonchalant attitude of many a reckless driver, and though at times he felt disappointed with people who did not mind breaking traffic rules, he has pressed on in the service of the people.
After two decades of serving as a constable, he was promoted to THC, which stands for ‘Town Head Constable’. The stretch from TCP Gate to Razhü Point, the busiest street in Kohima, is a much too familiar environment for him even as he monitors the movement of vehicles along this route. The challenge, he says, has grown tremendously with the increase in vehicles, which obviously slows down movement and results in jamming, honking, waiting and chaos.
When asked what, in his opinion, would help ease the traffic, he says the efficient use of school buses would definitely be one solution as he goes on to point out that the trend in Kohima is one child carried by one vehicle, which means 50 children is equal to 50 vehicles. And, of course, there are the large numbers of government employees with the mandatory individual cars. The rush hour is clearly school, office and shopping hours every working day.
Lorhu has been in the field for as long as he can remember. He was promoted to Assistant Sub Inspector, or ASI in short, last May. Prior to that, in 2003, he was posted at Mon for a short period. The experience, he recalls, is incomparable as we all know Kohima Traffic is no match to other towns.
He was called back to the State capital for obvious reasons, he, being one of the most experienced in the job. But what could be so fascinating about the life of a traffic cop who starts work at 8 am in the morning, which means his day begins two hours before that, and whose day never ends before 6 pm?
Challenging still, he never gets an off day. It takes courage to be in a job where one has to work the hardest when the whole world is off holidaying in a festive mood. But this is nothing new to him anymore even as two other colleagues, THC V Sema and ASI Khenenlo Rengma, join in the conversation.
“Holidays are rare,” they said. I learnt that they are entitled to a 15-day holiday once a year. “But even that is hard to come by,” one of them longingly says.
Indeed, it takes enormous courage to be in uniform when the whole world is celebrating. Take Christmas Day, Good Friday or Easter Sunday for instance - they are at their busiest best during such holidays, besides weddings and other festivals – in fact, all the merrymaking days.
Working overtime is also something of a routine for them because you never know when duty will call when you are in such a profession. It’s disheartening to learn that accidents happen more or less on a daily basis. While many are fortunately minor ones, the three of them agree that the causes of these increasing road accidents are mostly because of drunken driving, over-speeding, underage and reckless driving.
It was also learnt that the majority of these accidents take place at night and often on the New Secretariat Road, the best and the widest road in town.
But the traffic policemen continue to do their jobs silently. And most of them also agree that ASI Lorhu Rhuo is among the names that stand out when it comes to keeping the traffic fluid. Simple in nature and pleasantly smiling, he is a man of few words, but he and his colleagues in this rarely acknowledged force make our lives easier everyday with their dedication and personal sacrifices.

Jonathan Mesen

“Use the little that God gives you, be responsible with it and He multiplies it”

He efficiently strums the guitar, plays the piano and the harmonica; he composes, sings, writes poetry and is also a Graphic Designer, but Jonathan Mesen is mostly a man of faith who dared enough to give up his childhood ambition for a much nobler cause.
The fact that he always dreamt of being part of the fast and furious Corporate World isn’t anyone’s guess. He was born and brought up at Rengma Mission Centre, Tseminyu, with his father being closely associated with the Mission Field. He later graduated from Symbiosis Pune.
Clearly, he studied Economics to fulfil his dream but says, “God had other plans for me.” He went on to pursue a 4-year Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity from Union Biblical Seminary at Pune.
“God’s call for me was very clear,” Jonathan states, even as he became passionately involved with the Naga Christian Fellowship as Worship Leader and Chairman, and simultaneously developed a deep interest in writing and singing.
His first book was born in 2008 with a foreword by Dr & Mrs Monty Barker, Bristol, UK, which reads: “Jonathan is known to many of you as a skilled musician; what some of you may not know is that he is also a wordsmith, one who carries words in his head, and is all the time weaving them into thoughts, which seek to express some of the deepest longings of a young person’s heart”.
The poetry book titled, “When your heart won’t go on…” also carry beautiful reviews by Dove Award Winning Singer/Songwriter, Lenny Leblanc, English Professor (Retd), University of Pune, Grace Jacob and Chief Training Officer, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Cyril Georgson.
As for music, it has always been part of Jonathan’s life although, perhaps, he started playing instruments and singing only later. He did get himself trained in the category of voice while he was in Pune, but except for this one, the rest of his skills seem to come naturally whether it’s playing an instrument, designing, writing, composing or singing.
If you ask him how somebody could be gifted with such a variety of talents, his answer quite simple. “Use the little that God gives you, be responsible with it and He multiplies it” – this is what he strongly believes in. It is true that he is a self-taught man who has come a long way experimenting, learning, practicing and most of all, using his gifts the way he is supposed to.
He insists that he knows only the basics of music, writing or designing but one will have to decide otherwise after watching him indulge in his many interests. And he has also walked an extra mile to come close to the release of his debut album “Being me”, which is a blend of jazz, blues, alternative, worship and love songs with biblical principles. For somebody who also started exploring tools and designing out of curiosity he has professionally managed to design his own album which will be on the stands soon.
He is obviously a man of many talents but his greater commitment is something much nobler as I mentioned before. To become a Theologian wasn’t in his scheme of plans since he grew up in such an environment and sometimes saw theologians lead hypocritical lives (as he puts it), but then, again, deep down, he has also always wanted to serve God.
That’s how, after returning from Pune, he joined the Union Baptist Church, Kohima, first as Worship Leader for one year and an Associate Pastor for two years now.
“Church environment is not a new thing for me”, he says, and passionately adds, “If we really want to serve God, 24 hours is too less a time.”
His desire, he confesses, has always been to come back home, especially to help the youth “know God, know life and enjoy life.” Also wary of the fact that many people tend to keep their distance from Church Leaders and Pastors, he says, “I know this language, I know how they feel, and when they talk to me without reservations I feel good because they are pouring out their hearts to me.”
Did I mention that he is one of the youngest pastors that I know?
Talking of his experiences, he says it is challenging but rewarding. There is sheer joy in his eyes when he states, “We may not be able to change the whole Kohima but I believe we are making a difference in someone’s life…in the past 3 years, I have seen young people changing lives, from black to white, and I know that I make a difference in someone’s life.”
In their Campus Mission that reaches out to young people, specifically students in high schools, colleges and universities, he talks about visiting hostels and conducting retreats and having chapel time, all to the accompaniment of good music - all of which are evangelistic in nature and gives them an opportunity to respond to God’s love. The team of 12-15 in the Campus Mission, which includes a few theologians and volunteers, is also fervently involved with ‘PowerComm, for every nation, tongue and tribe’, a English Sunday Service for diverse communities at UBC.
It is his greater goal “to create in young people’s mind, the hunger and thirst for God’s word.” He admits that it is challenging and not easy, ‘because when they hear church and bible study, they give the boring look’. “And so I tell my team to make sure they are making it creative, interesting, so that even when they leave Kohima, they will go looking for church,” says Jonathan.
The most challenging part of working with young people, he says, is relating to them because some of them have the “do you know us?” kind of attitude, and they find it hard to relate with church leaders. But there is great hope in his eyes as he says that they are working hard towards breaking these barriers. He feels that a simple, genuine “how are you doing?” can seriously make a big difference.
The multi-talented, young, lively Pastor said ‘I do’ to the lovely Meneno Moses last December…….and even as the young couple has joyfully begun this new chapter in the journey of life, yes, happily for us, he’s got more plans to publish books, design, compose and sing more songs.
“You have a talent, use it for the Lord”……this is a song that many of us sang loud and hard in our Sunday Schools while growing up. Here is one who’s truly living it – he is using God’s gifts and making his life a gift back to God.

Lolia Susan

The vibrancy she creates around her seems to come naturally even as Lolia Susan animatedly brings to life defining moments from the past that she recalls with pleasure, mostly because of the experience she has gained and for pushing her career ahead. She describes herself as a typical village girl whose heart is rooted to the simple way of living. This, indeed, shows in the East View Piggery Farm at Lerie Chazou Colony, which she conceptualised a few years ago and is now running full swing. The story behind it has, however, been a challenging one as she looks back to how it all began.
Actually, she wanted to become a lecturer when she grew up but reasonably states that her parents could not afford her higher education which limited her academic quest to graduation level. And so she taught in a series of private schools for 9 long years that sort of compensated her childhood dream, before she realised that settling down and sustaining a family needed more than teaching in a private school.
She confesses that the concept of a piggery started in her mind when she was requested to keep two nephews who could not continue their studies. Coupled with her own interest for animals and basic ideas that she gathered from her village background, she began her new venture. But it wasn’t all smooth when she went ahead with the novel concept. That she bought 44 piglets out of which 41 died day after day until it was reduced to 3 surviving piglets did not help. Anybody in her place would have easily given up. But she didn’t.
As a matter of fact, she humorously gives an account of how she couldn’t find the space to bury them all. At the end of the day, she carried forward a lesson learnt and with optimism reared the 3 piglets even after having suffered huge losses. The pride in her eyes sparkles as she talks of the surviving sow that multiplied and is still around to see many of its generations.
Today, she is the proud owner of 20 sows and numerous piglets, which, she says, come and go. Despite the lack of basic training, she makes it sound fun learning from experience and the ‘village ideas’, as she puts it, come handy. The most challenging part of her job, she says, is feeding them and the fact that piglets are very susceptible to diseases if they are not given the necessary care. “Especially for nursery, we have to see that piglets are kept warm, have to monitor, etc…for me it is fun,” she expresses even as she insists on how growing up in the village has helped her towards this end. “My parents kept cows, pigs, chickens, and I had some basic idea but it is really important to love the animals to run a farm like this,” she says.
Through her venture, she has already generated employment to 6 young people and cheerfully talks about the activities that keep her engaged. Nagas love pork, she states, but says ‘we are lazy, impatient and want immediate results’, while pointing to the number of pigs brought in from outside. However, she observed that in recent years Naga families have also started rearing pigs for their own consumption, which, she says is a good sign.
Dwelling more on how she runs her piggery, she emphasises that space and good source of water are dire essentials. She uses dry feed for her pigs, 50% of maize and combination of 8 other items including portion of wheat, oilcakes, groundnut etc to make it a balanced diet.
“Everything is a self-experiment for me,” she expresses. Undoubtedly, she has let her passion drive her into this venture because the outcome certainly shows. She is grateful to Entrepreneurs Associates for believing in her and extending a loan to her, which has helped her extend another long stretch of much-needed sty in her pig farm. Here, she maintains, “Rich people do not need loans while poor people do not have enough property to apply for loans…EA is a saviour to many youths.”
And yet, her business isn’t confined to piggery for she also remembers running a grocery store once upon a time, which, in the process became a hub of many things - clothes mostly, which she also enjoys shopping from outside to simultaneously meet the needs of the customers in the State.
‘General Falls’ in Kohima needs no introduction – it’s a sort of one-stop shop visited frequently by most people in the capital town. This one is her idea of trying to provide everything possible in one place. “At least some of the basic things brought together in one place so that people don’t have to go around several places to pick what they need”.
By all standards, she is also apparently a Super Mom too for she has managed it all so well despite having to mother 7 children - 4 of her own and 3 other nephews and nieces. When asked how she balances all these, she simply states, “My husband is there to share the burden and I have a good helper in the kitchen.”
“I am happy in the jungle,” she insists. And yes, it shows in her kitchen garden, in her farm, and how she seems so happy doing all the good ‘natural’ things. “As a village brought up child, I had to fetch water, carry firewood…” she says, adding that ‘children today have all the leisure and pleasure’.
In this regard, she emphasises, “If we sit too long in this comfort zone, we will suffer.”
She feels that young people need to have ‘we-must-do-it’ attitude. “We should not feel too much for unemployment because there are sufficient things to do,” she states firmly, while maintaining that ‘If one is ready to work hard, we should not feel too seriously about what to eat tomorrow’.
The sportive spirit in her seems lingering still, and it is with enthusiasm that she shares her love for sports too. It is no wonder that she has represented Manipur state on several occasions at the national level. And that goes back to her school days in Class VI, VIII and X respectively for individual games, Basket Ball and Science Seminar at Delhi, Gujarat and again Delhi.
She only wishes that her children and other youth alike firstly sees to it that they are educated and not necessarily rush for government jobs but keep options open because, she persists that there are so many private companies willing to take them in if they are hard working.
“We need to be more down to earth, have the mentality to work hard…Nagas are smart, we have the competitive spirit, but we are a bit sluggish,” she opines as she dismisses the interview by confessing her love also for gardening and reading.
By 6 in the morning, she is already slugging it out at her piggery before she begins another day at ‘General Falls’ making customers happy with her vibrant smile alone. The counter in her shop also manifests her love for reading in the stacks of books. Truly a self-taught woman who has come a long way indeed.