By Amar Yumnam
Manipur has been having problems with entrepreneurship in the cause of serving the national purpose of advancement. We have been rather characterised by unproductive and destructive entrepreneurs in every arena of social, political and economic life. Productive entrepreneurs are hard to find, and in most instances whenever they embark on something the unproductive and destructive entrepreneurs have always seen to it that they (productive entrepreneurs) do not flourish. But it is always the productive (positive) entrepreneurs who have been responsible for causing development, sustaining social advancement and serving the fundamental purpose of nation building anywhere in the world.
Whenever we talk of entrepreneurship in Manipur, two persons always come to mind immediately. I always perceive of these two personalities as belonging to the productive entrepreneurs category. They are Ratan Thiyam and Dr. Palin. These two personalities shine in the civilizational and welfare related aspects of entrepreneurship. We have heard about them a lot for good reasons and I am sure we would continue hearing good news about them. But the social needs for entrepreneurs are in diverse arenas. We now see promising entrepreneurs in school education sector, and I have also been made aware of some women entrepreneurs by a lady friend of mine.
However what is most important and missing most for the present stage of development trajectory in Manipur is the role to be played by the productive entrepreneurs of the industrialisation kind. It is exactly from this perspective that I cherish the recent encounter and meeting with two young entrepreneurs. Meeting these two individuals in person and interacting with them have been absolutely enlivening and spirit enhancing for a person always concerned about the development scenario of the land. One is the person who has slowly but surely started inserting Manipur in the green tea manufacturing map of the world. With whatever little knowledge of the flavour and the manner of enjoying green tea, I can say for sure that so far there is no green tea manufactured in India worth getting addicted yet. But in the green tea produced and marketed by the Sui Generis, we now have a green tea worth enjoying, enjoyable and globally competitive. When it comes to green tea, there is none on this planet to beat the Chinese.
I know the Sui Generis product cannot make the Chinese run for their money, but I am as well sure that it would certainly be able to carve out a place for itself in the global tea market, provided the present quality endures.
In the second case of SM Motors, we encounter an entrepreneur who is not satisfied with the run of the mill services of private car sector caring. A chance encounter with him and a single visit to his workshop has confirmed the emergence of productive entrepreneurs of the industrialisation kind in this land. An interaction with him has confirmed the impression generated by the interaction with the Sui Generis proprietor. Entrepreneurship of the industrialisation kind is definitely now a sure characteristic of the economic fabric of Manipur.
Now it is incumbent on my part on how I have arrived at this conclusion and there is justification for every development spirit to feel enlivened. Ratan Thiyam and Dr. Ratan are absolute professionals who have turned entrepreneurs with the professional competence they have. But in the case of Sui Generis and SM Motors, the picture is different. In these cases, we have two young souls bubbling with the enthusiasm to do something new productively in the midst of large social mass of unemployed youths, with the socially uneducated banking sector and absence of policy environment for encouraging new activities. They are entrepreneurs – the productive kind – at the core. Whereas it is possible that there could be others feeling like them, the question is why they are different and making a difference. There are some key characteristics. First, they are entrepreneurs who are committed to professionalism and the qualities associated with it. In whatever they do, they look for perfection. Secondly, this professionalism is founded on a technological orientation founded on contemporariness. Professionalism founded on dated technology would not last long and would not enable emergence as competitive players in the market place. In the case of these two, we observe a strong commitment to serve the best globally competitive way and founded on latest technology in whatever little they have put their hands on. Third, in both we see a trait of quality consciousness. This is important for preserving their place in the market and ensuring customer satisfaction. This is the only way to retain first customers and generate new customers through the information channels of the customers themselves. Fourth, we observe in both the entrepreneurs the strength to be patient in waiting for the fruits of their labour and in a context of absolutely unfriendly to new entrepreneurs. Here I would like to make a strong comment on what is generally called “work culture” in general parlance. The British society also had to wait for long for this cu
lture to emerge and take roots. I now see under the patronage and surveillance of these two hard workers the taking of roots of such a culture. While in the case of administrative heads of Manipur, including of universities, we see the administrative heads behaving rather like controlling heads and not as activity-conveniencing heads, we see in these two entrepreneurs two administrative heads committed to enhancing productive performance. The future of Manipur can be ensured only with the multiplication of such entrepreneurs.
The challenge before us is how to make the multiplication a reality. For sure, we now need a policy environment for facilitating the growth and expansion of productive entrepreneurs. Further, we also need a social environment where all are committed to not disturb the functioning and performance of productive entrepreneurs. We must realise that there are now individuals committed and oriented to take the society in directions different from the ethnicised articulations of interests. They are the foundations for future economic transformations of Manipur. Encourage and support them in every possible way.
In the end, I wish the soul of the Delhi rape victim rest in peace, and the rapists who exercise their entrepreneurship in raping go to hell sooner than later.