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Livine Khrozhoh
Dimapur, Sep. 3 (EMN): Nagaland has seen a significant increase in the number of entrepreneurs of late, with many enthusiastic young people venturing into various fields and trying to make a living.
One such entrepreneur is Imsurenla Sanglir, who stood in the 8th rank (History honours) in her graduation (2018) and ranked third in the University in the department of English.
She is currently pursuing a double master’s degree in Folklore and Culture Studies while trying to create a niche in business and also help the needy during these difficult times.
“Making arts and crafts has been my hobby and living expenses for a fashion enthusiast is a little too much; also the college bus fare was expensive and I did not want to burden my parents so I decided that as long as I am healthy and breathing I am going to be my own hero,” she told Eastern Mirror.
It was when the government of Nagaland declared to make the state plastic-free and subsequently banned single-use plastics that she the idea of creating sustainable tote bags struck her.
That idea took shape when she started her tote bag business known as One X One Nagaland in 2019; and she gave her authentic touch to it either through embroidery or paint.
As she started getting deeper into sustainable ethics, she noticed clothes polluting the environment and so wanted to hype “thrift culture”, and thus curated “Like.Buy.Slay” with the label “Buy only if you love it”. Through this platform, she sells second hand clothes online after sourcing, washing and sanitising it.
She said that both the business pages (online) have made her grow into a different person.
“I love giving back to society so I did two different charity drops in 2020 and 2021 where I raised funds to provide cell phones, admissions and help a pregnant lady. I also donate items in different districts in Nagaland by enquiring my friends about the downtrodden families. All this social work makes me contended,” she said.
‘Nagas are talented but since childhood, we are pampered and have the notion that we should depend on parents until we get a government job or any private job for that matter, so our talents get dusted. We should learn the positive side of the western culture of being independent once we attain the age of 18 (or even younger). Life is not going to be a smooth flow of river; there will be hurdles and strong forces, so one should be ready to face the world at any given point of time,’ she asserted.
She shared that people often ask her how she manages to work as well as study. On this, she said that she does not invest time on studying, adding that “if some elders come across this notion, they will be quite disappointed”.
‘The first and foremost thing is that I manage my time and do not compromise on positivity; I spend time reading novels rather than chatting with friends on irrelevant topic. Secondly, once I study, I give my whole concentration for two hours. Also, it's really important to understand what one is studying, so I spend more time researching than memorising bookish knowledge,’ she shared.
She said her ambition keeps changing as she loves to do many things but would like to be considered as a successful entrepreneur representing Nagaland.
Sharing about challenges, she revealed that her workload becomes heavy sometimes and gets burn out but with prayers and positivity, she gets up and starts stronger.
‘There are naysayers as well but I do not waste time on negativity which helps me not break down easily,’ she said.
While encouraging the youths to be self dependent, she is optimistic about the future.
“Find what we are made of and follow that path and not try to fit into the wrong shoes. I am betting so much on millennials and Gen Z because we really are doing great. Everyone is opening up slowly and bringing progress within oneself, so the future will definitely be bright,” she said.