Eclectic Northeast – July 2019

(avery) #1
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.
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