Ningombam ningol Khumujam Ongbi Jina
- Entrepreneur -

By Thingnam Anjulika Samom *

Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of many a promising human enterprise would be the overwhelming human aspiration to awe everyone else with a grand entrance. But sometime the best enterprises are those done quietly on a small scale, as exhibited by entrepreneur and innovator Ningombam ningol Khumujam Ongbi Jina.

Jina was born in October, 1955 as the eldest of four siblings – two sisters and two brothers. Her father late Ningombam Gopal of Tera Bazar used to run a small grocery shop. Her mother Tombi is a housewife.

After completing her middle school at Kebol Girls High School in Tera, Jina shifted to Tamphasana Girls Higher Secondary school to study in Class IX. She went on to complete not only her high school but also her higher secondary schooling from the school.

In fact she was among the first batch Class XII students of the school. She however left her studies after passing her higher secondary examinations.

On August 14, 1977, Jina became the wife of Khumujam Ingo, a driver by profession. Marital bliss for her was however short-lived as her husband couldn't hold on to a job for long. His frequent job changes also meant that he brought in little or no money to run the family.

The need to keep the kitchen fire burning as well his alcoholism meant that now frequent squabbles, sometimes violent, started occurring in the house. As time passed and their situation worsening instead of improving, the rift in the family widened more and more to the extent that it took the life of her eldest daughter, Padmini and desolate and forlorn, Jina even contemplated suicide once.

But today she has surmounted all hurdles to become a successful entrepreneur. Perhaps her greatest victory is that when she speaks of her hardships, which continues even now, she does so with a smile. A smile that has conquered tears.

"We design bags out of discarded cement bags, make soaps and incense sticks, doormats, do crochet as well as both hand and machine embroidery work on blouses, scarves, phi, bed sheets, pillow covers, fan covers, – almost everything that is used in a family ...," she explains, and adds, "And of course, we make lots of marigold garlands out of wool during the puja and Diwali season."

"Initially I hand-knitted woollen blouses, socks and gloves, made woollen dolls, embroidered pillow covers and bed sheets and gunny bags into dining mats to supplement the family income," she says. Today helped by her two daughters – Rocky and Pinky — her designs and embroidery has found many fans. "Kamla wore many of my designs and works in the film "Khuji"," she confides.

Another of Jina's significant contribution has been in soap-making. She learnt the art during a workshop organized by the Centre for Social Development (CSD) located at Palace Compound.

"We were taught to use honey or glycerine in making soap. But I started thinking about how my grandmother and others used to use kekru for washing purposes and the lather it used to make. So I started using it instead. This has made my soap more popular," says Jina.

She now makes a variety of soaps – milk, aloe vera, turmeric, lemon and cucumber, besides indigenous herbs like nongleisang and sangbrei – under her soap brand known as "Eikhoigee Pothapham" loose translated as "Our Rest House."

"Some of the destitute women, like widows and those living with HIV/AIDS, used to come to my house and together we would make the soap, chatting and laughing. The work wasn't work per se; it was more like we were resting together from our individual hardships. After learning about this, Madam Sobita of Woman Action for Development (WAD) suggested the name and it sounded good to us also. Hence, Eikhoigee Pothapham," she informs.

"Sometimes we make lots of items for others. I know they take them for exhibitions outside the state and pass the items as their own work. But I can't be thinking about that as money is my need. We have sold the items and that's the end of that. Because the need for us is the kitchen fuel, the food for the now and after," she adds.

"Thinking about joining the exhibitions ourselves is a like crying for the moon. Making enough soaps for exhibitions would require lots of money to invest and we don't have that. We only produce them in small number and these too sell off very quickly. We are afraid of taking loans or establishing a self help group. What if we are not able to return the money?" she says.

However, her work has already gained recognition as Jina is often called upon by various organizations, NGOs and even the Institute of Co-operative Management (ICM) Lamphelpat to act as resource person and train others in embroidery, soap-making, bag-making, etc.

"There are so many factors inhibiting the growth of a small scale industry like mine. Lack of money is a major and important factor. But apart from that is the mindset of our own people.

Either they sneer in disdain and say, 'There are so many brands coming from outside and from Moreh too; who will use such soaps like yours,' or they are completely unsupportive and say this is futile work. This is the tragedy of our own people. They will happily buy a foreign brand soap costing some few hundred rupees, but they will never buy a local produce – purely herbal, chemical-free – at just five or ten rupees," observes Jina.

Jina has been an active member of the Meira Paibi group in her locality, once serving as the secretary too in the early 1990s. "I was actively involved in cases like that of Ahanjaobi, Bijoykumar, Amina, etc," she recalls. She has also been a ration agent.

She lives with her husband and four surviving children – two sons and two daughters – at Khurai Thoidingjam Leikai.