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Our Correspondent
Kohima, Dec. 13 (EMN): With Christmas around the corner, the annual winter bazaar at Khuochiezie local ground in Kohima, is in progress, attracting crowds from all walks of life. During this season, many people from other districts and villages come for ‘Christmas shopping’.
Kohima Village Youth Organisation (KVYO) is managing the winter bazaar this year. The bazaar started from December 2 and will go on till December 23.
Thepfusavi Suohu, convenor of winter bazaar, and Vizonelie Pienyü, general secretary of KVYO, informed Eastern Mirror that there are 600 stalls this year. They stated that first priority was given to the local entrepreneurs and 30-40% of the vendors are local.
“Through this winter bazaar, we are giving privilege to the business people,” they said, adding that the aim of the fair is to promote and uplift the downtrodden people as well as to give an opportunity to people from all walks of life to buy goods at an affordable price.
“There are many educated unemployed youths and we want to encourage the young entrepreneurs,” they said. They further informed that they have banned single-use plastics.
“Different items such as food and clothing are sold, and organic vegetables brought from Wokha and Tseminyu are also available,” they informed. “What KVYO gains from the winter bazaar will be given for renovation of the local ground,” they added.
Some of the vendors taking part in the fair told this newspaper that they have not sold much but still benefit. For some, it is their first time trying to sell goods at the bazaar, and they said the experience has been good so far.
One male vendor, an unemployed graduate, shared that it was his third time participating in the winter bazaar. He said, “Sale is average but I am benefitting from it financially as well as socially.”
He said there are many unemployed graduates and postgraduates who are doing business like him.
“Parents have been managing the family, and now, I am trying to help them out when organisations give us such chance or when we get an opportunity to run such small business,” he said. “It is very easy to earn for oneself if we get opportunities to run business and people might look down upon us for running such small business but I respect myself for it,” he added.
He shared that he feels proud to work and earn through such small businesses though many youths are unwilling to take up such work.