Eclectic Northeast – July 2019

July 2019 │ │ 41

The writer is Chairperson, IEF

Entrepreneurship Foundation

operations will incorporate
fundamental changes in processes
and prevailing structures,
meaningful interactions with all
stakeholders, and offer a model for
compatriots to emulate and build
upon sustainably.

Keeping it Organic
Another example of such a
venture belongs to the Dhakal
brothers of Gangtok, Sikkim,
Abhimanyu and Abhinandan.
The brothers began growing the
South American sweet root, yacon,
with the help of local growers for
a couple of years. In late 2018,
they launched Earthier, a yacon
products brand in knowledge
partnership with the International
Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development (ICIMOD). The
motto of Earthier is to act upon
the consciousness that ‘we are
responsible for our earth and its
well-being.’ Earthier’s community
of growers from the high
Himalayas in Sikkim and nearby
regions are empowered, and
partner the initiative of positive
environmental choices and
sustainable development goals.
They grow local as well as exotic
produce organically, do not face
the price distress on account of
their association with the brand,
and therefore lead more fulfilling
lives. As the next step, the brand’s
products are made from their
crops with minimal processing

and zero preservatives, retaining

most of the natural health benefits.

The question of shrinking

habitats for the wider flora and

fauna species, especially for bee

populations furrows the brows of

environmentalists the world over.

Vijay Byrsat, Eva Lyngdoh, and

Badaljied Dohling are all working

to aggregate honey produced by

locals to process, market and retail

across the country. Bees happen

to be the world’s most important

pollinator of food crops. It is

estimated that a third of the

food that we consume each day

relies on pollination mainly by

bees. Not only that, but the food

that animals eat (possibly those

whose meat we also consume) is

also pollinated by bees! Trees that

support wildlife and mass climate

control also depend on bees to

spread and thrive.

Eco-Friendly Practices

Tourism is fast becoming a

mainstay of the economy of the

Northeast. However, tourists often

come with the same expectations

in the region as they would in

big cities. Kanupriya Raniwala,

originally from Kota, Rajasthan,

moved base to Sikkim after a brief

trip, to start All India Permit,

‘a group of young, enthusiastic

travellers settled in different parts

of the very pristine Himalayas

to seek adventure and curate

customised itineraries with the

approach that any trip is guided

on the lines of “community over

competition”. All India Permit

ensures that the itineraries are

designed to be eco-friendly

and community sensitive,’ says

Raniwala. ‘The only thought that

scares me is what if this place gets

flooded with guests who don’t care

about the local community and are

not inclined towards eco-friendly

travel? What if they don’t accord

the respect this place demands?’

Through her travel venture,

Raniwala debriefs guests about

local norms and environmental

etiquette, sending premeds

before the trip commences and

integrating nature walks into

every itinerary.

The learning curve for

ecopreneurs in the Northeast is

steep. Procurement and market

access are perhaps some of the

biggest logistical gaps that they

have a hard time bridging. But

while the challenge is arduous

in the Northeast, intent and

innovation have helped reduce

costs, and encouraged the local

ecopreneurial community to

become self-sustaining and find

ways to maximise available

resources while also replenishing

them.