The Young-at-heart

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!

Zaren Odyuo~ The Entrepreneur

Business, according to Zaren Odyuo, is a social cause as he meticulously explains that looking at any developing state, “It is the business that controls the economy, the life style of the people, and shapes and determines the conditions of a society.”
Perhaps it was with this firm belief that he got into the world of business, but it wasn’t without hardship that he got where he is today. He recalls that his first business venture was a failure and only another tryst marks the start of a retailing career in his life. Being a first generation entrepreneur, he regrets that he never really had the guidance and finance. He says, “It was and is a big struggle and everyday it’s a big challenge as competitions gets tough,” compelling the need to work harder to be ahead.
He’s had trade lessons, as he calls it, by playing multiple roles such as being a salesman to cashier and has endured sleepless nights over calculated risks. But one thing he’s proud to have achieved is the “trust” he has built over the years. Today, he is one among the best known names in the business world, but he never forgets that it had a humble beginning.
Zaren believes that it takes Good Planning and Patience coupled with Dedication and Hard Work, Building Trust, Consistency, and Humility to be successful in this field. And of course, the challenge, he says lies in taking the risk and having the faith, which he insists has brought him this far.
But while the prospect of business in the State is large and bright, one cannot deny the presence of threats and extortions.......towards this end, he feels that “it is time for our Youth to wake up to the reality and ask ourselves why others can do business for generations (with all the taxes & threats) and we can’t.”
“I know of some shop owners who run small businesses here but have buildings and lands in their villages outside the State. One small electrical shop owner has supported his sons in getting into engineering colleges….the list goes on. They know how to handle and deal with our people and make profits; we Naga Entrepreneurs should learn, adapt, do the same and also, in the process, bring about change,” he says.
He also feels that "unless our youth connect and interact, and much help supported genuinely by the underground and the state government, we will surely be controlled by people who really won’t have much concern for our State except to make profits."
On another note, he is of the opinion that “Naga youths are deprived of role models, people that they can look up on, leaders with qualities of being visionaries, transformers, standing up for the truth, basically being a Christian Man.”
“Naga youth are looking to identify or relate with something and the majority are heading towards adapting different foreign cultures which is degenerating our rich culture of being honest, hard working, self reliant and the respect for one another,” he laments and goes on to add that “as much as the older generations are needed to set examples, the Naga youth have a huge task to transform our land. We know the situation! I believe we have the talents, resources, the right people but getting swayed away can be easy for our youths.”
This Young Entrepreneur has a dream for Nagaland, which in his words is “to bring back our glory days when Man took up spears when the villages were threatened. Our society is being threatened by our own people (illegal taxes, corruption on all levels, law and order, etc).”
“If only we speak out and fight, I believe Nagaland will have better days, better education, better health care etc,” he firmly states.
On a lighter note, it may interesting for many to note that his childhood dream was to be a Government Officer although he confesses that business was always at the back of his mind.
Truly a man with a success story, who never had the support of the Government in terms of finance and never had the luxury of having a huge start-up capital, has established a Brand Name – ‘Gravity’ - in three districts of Nagaland - Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung.
‘Tribal Enterprise’ which is his very own brainchild has Benjamin Mozhui as the Co-Owner. Down the years, it has also generated employment to over 90 local youths.
Here is one of our very own who is determined and convinced that it is possible to do business and be successful in Nagaland. He, himself is testimony to it.