Issue 1 - Volume 1 | January 2017

Where There Is a Will, there is a Way -Voice of SMEs

Mrs. Jharna Medhi

Exploring the stalls in the International Trade Fair last year, my eyes stopped at one corner where a lady probably in her early 40s was standing at a huge stall full of homemade food products with two young men at her side. Looking for stories of small & medium businesses in India, I immediately went to approach her in hope of knowing something new, something inspiring. What happened next compels me to share her journey with everyone. In a freewheeling conversation with Mrs. Jharna Medhi hailing from a small village in Samaguri, Assam, the story began to unfold itself with some of her early memories.


"I was not born with a silver spoon, the journey has been quite a roller coaster ride for me. My parents got me married in my teens and like a typical Indian housewife, I was expected to stay indoors and take care of my new family. I was appreciated a lot for my cooking skills which I had inherited from my mother and this appreciation often got me thinking that I must utilize my skills to do something more in life, to make my own identity and experience what accomplishments feel like.”

Curious to know further, I threw a cascade of questions at her on how did she take the first step in following her dreams, did she have the support of her family, what were the challenges she faced, how she overcame them et cetera.

With a happy lit up face and calm voice, she answered all my questions one by one.

“With thinking and overthinking over a couple of weeks, I realized that cooking is my true calling and I must act on it. With a little fear and a lot of courage, I started my food business and I still remember my first step towards it when I purchased 5 kilograms of mangoes in the year 1992 to make pickles and start selling it. With first dealing it only among the neighbors, I was encouraged and happy with the positive feedback which convinced me enough to make it an inter-village business. But this is where I started facing challenges. Paying even a minimal amount for anything like this was considered to be foolish at that time. Nobody was willing to taste my pickles and give me a chance. That was the time when I felt completely stuck in my life, but i was in luck when it came to family support. With a well-considered thought, I was ready to take another risk. I started distributing my samples to all the nearby as well as remote villages for free, After almost one year of providing free products, just when I was about to lose hope, I got my first order. And that was the time my hopes revived and a new passion filled in all over. Over the next few years, I received many orders and people were happy to purchase pickles from me.

Post the pickle success, I expanded my range of products and started making other eatables like papads, sweets, snacks et cetera and it has been a huge success till now with orders coming from all over India. I have also started giving free workshops to girls in the villages on cooking.”
 
On answering my question on what has been her greatest achievement till now, she adds “I have been overwhelmed by getting nationwide recognition from the government for my work and my initiative to encourage countryside girls to learn cooking skills and earn their own bread. I was given the Women Entrepreneur Award of the year, oh I am forgetting the exact year” she adds laughingly.  

Inspired by her story, I thought it’s a good idea to close this conversation by asking her what she has to say to other entrepreneurs and I got to know that she has a special message for the young girls “ I would like to request all my young ladies that no matter what, never give up on your dreams. Be independent and never be submissive to the societal norms.  Discover your inner calling in life and do what makes you happy”.

Mrs. Medhi had indeed covered a long distance till the trade fair where she was especially invited to be a part of MSME expo, both in terms of kilometers and in her real struggle to be so successful today. She justifies this popular phrase perfectly “Where there is a will, there is a way”.

 



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