Living out of discarded tyres: Story of Memi
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, July 03 2013: "There is no such occupation meant only for men or women.

Everyone should strive to be self-reliant by taking up an occupation according to one's skill and adaptability rather on the basis of gender preference", National Awardee Wangkheirakpam Ongbi Memi told Hueiyen Lanpao.

50-year-old Memi is the wife of Wangkheirakpam Biren of Kwakeithel Heinou Khongnembi in Imphal West.

She is a mother of three boys and one girl.

She has been awarded Micro Entrepreneur Award for excellence in her occupation of making buckets, pots and vases from discarded tyres.

Memi has been in this occupation for the past seven years.

She told that those rubber items are in high demand and she currently employs about 14 workers.

The discarded tyres, which are used as raw materials, are collected from different places of the State including hill districts.

National Awardee Wangkheirakpam Ongbi Memi

Narrating how she entered into this occupation, Memi said that her husband worked in the erstwhile Manipur State Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and her family went through a period of financial crisis when her husband was out of work due to abolition of the Corporation.

One day, her husband brought home a discarded tyre from his office.

Her second son carved a bucket out of the tyre for household use.

On seeing that bucket, a contractor ordered 100 such rubber buckets.

She along with her children managed to make 100 buckets costing Rs.80 each, she recalled.

Memi further stated that all tyres except for bicycles can be used for making different types of containers ranging from buckets to large water containers.

The workers are paid according to the amount of their works.

Normally, a worker is paid Rs.40 for making a bucket, Rs.550 for making a 100-litre container and Rs.2000 for a 500-litre container.

They could earn Rs.600 on an average daily, she noted.

The rubber products from her firm are exported to Mizoram, Dimapur, Jiribam, Silchar, Arunachal Pradesh and other places outside the State.

These products are also in high demand in the local markets.

Her firm currently uses about 45 tyres as raw material.

The price of these tyres ranges from Rs.27 to Rs.300, she stated.

So far no government agency has rendered any financial assistance to her firm.

However, the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai honoured her with City Micro Entrepreneur Award carrying a cash prize of Rs.1.5 lakh in 2011.Prior to this honour, Chanura Microfin provided her financial assistance, Memi noted.

This lady entrepreneur also wants to open up a training institute for the youths.