Bivash Modi
(modibivash@yahoo.in)
For generations, the social imagination of Assam and much of the Northeast has revolved around a familiar aspiration: securing a stable government job. Parents dream of seeing their children become doctors, engineers, civil servants, teachers, clerks, or any salaried employee offering security and social prestige. While these professions have undoubtedly contributed to nation-building, it is time to pose a challenging question: Can a society thrive solely by producing job seekers, or must it also foster job creators? The answer lies in the changing realities of the twenty-first-century economy. Entrepreneurship, innovation, scientific research, technology, and skilled enterprises are increasingly driving economic progress worldwide. Nations that have transformed themselves economically are those that encouraged their citizens not only to seek employment but also to build businesses, industries, and institutions that generate employment for others. The Northeast, and Assam in particular, possess immense natural and human resources. The region is blessed with fertile agricultural land, abundant forests, rich biodiversity, strategic geographical location, vibrant cultural traditions, and a young population. Yet, despite these advantages, industrial growth and private enterprise have remained limited compared to many other parts of India.
One of the reasons is societal mindset.
For decades, business and trade have not received the same social respect accorded to government officials or salaried professionals. A young entrepreneur often struggles to gain recognition, while a government employee automatically enjoys prestige. This mindset needs urgent reconsideration. A government employee serves society through his or her professional duties and earns a salary that supports a family. An entrepreneur, however, creates opportunities not only for himself but also for dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of others. Every successful trader, industrialist, farmer, manufacturer, or business owner contributes to economic activity, tax generation, wealth creation, and employment. The prosperity of any region depends not merely on the number of employees it produces but on the number of enterprises it nurtures.
Assam's future cannot rest solely on tea, oil, and government employment. The state must encourage young people to venture into agriculture-based industries, food processing, tourism, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, renewable energy, information technology, defence manufacturing, scientific research, and innovation-driven enterprises.
The global economy is changing rapidly. Traditional degrees alone no longer guarantee employment. Even prestigious qualifications increasingly face scrutiny based on practical skills and adaptability. Industries today seek technocrats, innovators, coders, researchers, designers, data analysts, skilled technicians, and problem-solvers. The era of merely collecting certificates is fading.
This trend does not diminish the importance of education. Rather, it redefines its purpose. Education should empower individuals to create value, solve problems, and generate opportunities. Universities and colleges must therefore move beyond examination-orientated learning and encourage entrepreneurship, research, start-ups, incubation centres, vocational skills, and industry collaboration.
The Northeast in general and Assam in particular possess unique advantages that can be transformed into economic strengths. Its rich flora and fauna can support biotechnology and medicinal research. Traditional knowledge systems can contribute to pharmaceutical development. Indigenous arts, handicrafts, textiles, music, dance, and folklore can become globally recognised cultural industries. Eco-tourism and adventure tourism have vast untapped potential. Likewise, agriculture must be viewed not as a subsistence activity but as an enterprise. Modern farming, organic cultivation, food processing, packaging, branding, and export-orientated agriculture can create substantial wealth. Countries with far fewer natural resources have built prosperous economies through agricultural innovation. Assam can do the same.
Another area demanding attention is research and development. Scientific temperament and innovation must become central to educational and social discourse. A society that invests in laboratories, research institutions, patents, and technological innovation positions itself for long-term growth. Young minds should be encouraged not only to prepare for competitive examinations but also to pursue scientific discovery and technological advancement. Equally important is the need to cultivate a culture of self-skilling. In an age of artificial intelligence, automation, and digital transformation, learning cannot stop with graduation. Continuous acquisition of new skills is becoming essential. The most respected professionals of the future will not necessarily be those with the highest degrees but those who can adapt, innovate, and remain relevant.
Assam must also introspect on another challenge-the tendency to resort to agitation as the primary response to every developmental issue. Democratic protest is a legitimate constitutional right. However, when agitation becomes the default mechanism for addressing every issue, it can discourage investment and create uncertainty.
Sustainable development requires dialogue, stability, and constructive engagement. Investors seek predictable environments. Industries flourish where policies remain stable and social conditions are conducive to growth. If the region wishes to attract large-scale investment and create employment opportunities, it must project itself as a destination of enterprise, innovation, and productivity. However, governments alone cannot achieve the transformation. Families, educational institutions, community leaders, and civil society must collectively redefine success. Parents should celebrate entrepreneurship with the same enthusiasm they reserve for government employment. Schools should introduce financial literacy and entrepreneurial thinking. Communities should honour successful farmers, innovators, researchers, artisans, and businesspeople alongside administrators and officials. The question before Assamese society is not whether government jobs are important. They certainly are. The real question is whether they alone can secure the region's future.
History suggests otherwise.
Societies that prosper are those that encourage risk-taking, reward innovation, respect enterprise, and create wealth. Assam possesses all the ingredients necessary for such a transformation. What remains is a change in mindset. The future belongs not merely to those who seek jobs but to those who create them. When society begins to accord equal dignity to the entrepreneur, the farmer, the trader, the innovator, and the researcher, Assam will move from being a region of untapped potential to a region of realised opportunity.
The time for that change is now.