Yangertemjen Pongen, a resident of Chuchuyimpang village, makes his living by making furniture with wood. At 26, Yanger realized that he did not want to be one of those unemployed youths who leech upon his parents’ income even after spending so much of his family resources in his education.
Claiming to be someone who lacks skills in cooking or baking and identifying himself as a non-smooth-talker, he confides in his hobby of creating art through crafting wood, painting or sculpting.
“I had seen my grandfather do carpentry and watched him spend hours creating the art. As I grew up, I thought I could do similar work like my grandfather did. At first it was just my hobby but later it became my passion,” he said.
Speaking about his initial days, he expressed how finances were his biggest challenge that pushed him to almost give up. However, his love for wood crafting brought him thus far.
Sharing his opinion on whether his customers meet their satisfaction with his works, he said confidently that “when sweat, hard work and experience become a routine, satisfaction is always met.”
As unemployment in Nagaland escalates, with the state’s unemployment rate among the highest in the North-Eastern states, a concerned Yanger urged educated youths to stop depending upon “government jobs” alone.
“The biggest problem in our society is the dependency on government jobs. The first Naga generation was not exposed properly to the world of how private businesses control and run everything. I think it’s time the current generation do away with such understanding and try creating our own jobs and empower ourselves in such a way that, it shall be us who will employ the unemployed.”
Pertaining to his belief, he said how unappetizing it is for the society when someone makes a living from the kind of work he does. However, his firm understanding that “no work is small” continues to push him further.
“I think it is no longer about ‘what have you studied’ but ‘where are you good at’ is more significant in today’s world.”
Expressing his satisfaction in the kind of a lifestyle he chose, he said, “The best thing is, I’m doing something that I really love and enjoy, and at the same time it helps me earn. I can now even support my family with my earnings and it gives me immense pleasure”.
”Right now, I think even driving a Lamborghini or a Benz won’t give me the happiness and satisfaction I have now. At the end of the day, what we work or where we work does not matter. I think what really matters are the passion that drives us to do better and learn new lessons every day. Life really does not revolve only around government jobs. Looking beyond the horizon is what we should focus on,” he concluded.
