Guwahati, Feb. 25: When Zuboni Humtsoe decided to become an entrepreneur in 2011, many discouraged her saying women cannot, or should not, start a business.
A letter on Thursday from the Union ministry of women and child welfare about her selection for the Nari Shakti Puraskar was, therefore, not only a proud moment for Zuboni but also proved her doubters wrong.
Hailing from Nagaland's Dimapur, Zuboni, the proprietor of an all-women start-up Precious Me Love (PML), will be handed over the award by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan on International Women's Day on March 8.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a citation and comes at a time when Nagaland has witnessed violent protests over 33 per cent reservation for women in urban body polls.
"I have realised in all these years that Naga women are the most hardworking and they are our inspiration. This award is a tribute to all the amazing women out there who keep inspiring us," Zuboni told The Telegraph today.
After graduating from Delhi University, Zuboni did not return home owing to a lack of opportunities. But she ended up returning as her father suffered a stroke and her family was going through a hard time. "Being a creative person and a dreamer, I did not want a desk job and I vowed to work really hard and make my own destiny," she said.
With Rs 3,500 as college scholarship, Zuboni converted a bedroom in her home into a walk-in store and started PML through Facebook in 2011. "In the beginning, many people discouraged me saying women can't or shouldn't do business. Over time, we grew and became an all-girls' team from photographers to seamstresses, stylists to designers, models to writers, doll-makers to managers," she said.
Zuboni and a group of women started producing textile items of various communities of the Northeast and started selling them through the portal www.preciousmelove.com, apart from exhibitions, pop-ups and an outlet in Kohima. In 2015, PML team started making dolls of various communities and selling them under the brand name Nungshiba (meaning beautiful in Manipuri). The PML core team comprises at least 12 women, including Babita Meitei (Manipuri head crafts designer), who took to the business against her family's wishes.
PML now delivers products to places like Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Puducherry and cities in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, besides other northeastern states.
"We have good clients abroad buying and supporting us. We are also conducting and participating in entrepreneurship skill training and workshops to encourage self-empowerment among students, youths and differently-abled people," Zuboni said.
