Of songs, yarns and compassion

I hail from a traditional cultured family. My now deceased father, Taba Nyeri was an acknowledged and respected figure among the Nyishi and Abo Tani tribes of Arunachal. He was a high priest, oral historian and his contribution towards Tani philosophy (specifically in terms of reviving Donyi Polism and building of Nyder Namlo) is much remembered in society. He is also remembered as one of the Land Donners of Itanagar. My mother on the other hand was a folk artiste at All India Radio, Itanagar and I believe I have inherited her genes.

I did my primary schooling at a convent in Tangla, Assam. Thereafter I completed my secondary and higher secondary education from Government Higher Secondary School Doimukh and graduated from Women's College, NEHU, Shillong, Meghalaya. Simultaneously I also pursued my B.A music degree from Kristi Kendra Centre Naharlagun at Allahabad University.

I realised that as a conscious citizen and acknowledged folk and modern vocal artiste of the State, I wanted to handhold and be a part of State and Country's development and growth. This realisation really seeded my entrepreneurial journey.

After my graduation and marriage I happened to start a skill development centre especially for women and girls who dropout from school and junior college. This centre imparts training in traditional weaving, knitting, tailoring and fashion designing with the larger objective of preserving and promoting the rich ethnic designs of the various tribes of Arunachal. Eventually in the year 2000, I along with a group of associates founded a non- governmental organisation and had registered in Society Act. The society is known as Arun Jyoti Kalyan Sanstha. Till date I am holding the position of Chairperson here.

I experienced that after completing the vocational courses the trainees started asking me how to commercially impart their skills (they come from economically humble backgrounds). They clearly requested me to do something for their welfare. Their hope and expectations lent me inspiration and I tried my hand on many a thing like for instance making sellable products, putting up stalls in exhibitions and selling the products door to door to friends and relatives. I realised that it was a big challenge to sell items which were unprofessionally finished and without a brand name it was impossible to capture the mind of consumers.

I realised more acutely that then that I wanted to become a social entrepreneur and add value to the social ecosystem. In 2003, I, started a small cottage industry based on traditional and contemporary design with two showrooms and an industry showroom at Vivek Vihar, Itanagar. It was under the trading name of M/S Khinam Fashion House.

Today the designs/outfits of my house that are crafted by thousands of aspiring women entrepreneurs are perceived as modern Arunachalee designs and are worn by celebrities too including Mary Kom.

I have indeed faced a set of unique challenges twining my responsibilities of a singer and an entrepreneur. Actually in my view, to become an entrepreneur is always challenging in every stage but to become a first generation entrepreneur is more challenging. One has to start from the scratch without any cues or precedence in terms of learning. Some of the key challenges I faced included getting funds. I must mention that today it is much easier to get funds.

Also because I was a recognised and popular artiste/singer, people were very skeptical about my idea of business. They were plainly apprehensive that I could undertake the rigour of learning and implementing the brass tacks of entrepreneurship. I must say that to do business for earning money is little easier than becoming a social entrepreneur. A social entrepreneur has to find their own success in the pursuit of helping others and hence it entails constant striving for visionary leadership. However, I overcame all challenges through a positive approach. Team work and support from family members added to my ease.

If I have to state the key milestones and highpoints of my journey I would cite my success in terms of generating employment. It gives me immense satisfaction that I am helping our government and society in shouldering the unemployment burden. In course of time people started recognising my work and started acknowledging me as a modern designer of traditional weaves and patterns. They understood me as someone who is striving hard to preserve, promote and enhance the dying age old arts of the state and making these appeal to the younger generations and even a global clientele.

A visible high point of my journey is that I have been honoured and recognised by many organisations that have conferred me with awards and certificates of appreciation. In these recent years I have been privileged enough to design the State Gift Coat for our Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, during his visit to our State Government Function.

Going forward my vision is to create more employment and operate in a glocalised fashion. Be local at heart, see opportunity in and around the globe is pretty much my mantra.

Blurb: It gives me immense satisfaction that I am helping our government and society in shouldering the unemployment burden. In course of time people started recognising my work and started acknowledging me as a modern designer of traditional weaves and patterns. They understood me as someone who is striving hard to preserve, promote and enhance the dying age old arts of the state and making these appeal to the younger generations and even a global clientele.

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