FINDING A WAY TO SURVIVE WITH RUDRAKSHA

Phanindra Bhatta displays crowns of Rudraksha which he made from the Rudraksha seeds grown in his own land. Photo:LB Thapa

 By LB THAPA 

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has already hit the world economy very hard. In consequence, many industries and companies both small and big have come to a screeching halt. According to the Federation of Nepalese Cottage and Small Scale Industries (SMEs) about 25 percent of the micro, cottage, small, and medium enterprises have already been shut down in the country---leaving about 50 percent workforce to become jobless. 

Contribution of small business

Nepal, being an agro-based economy, small and medium-sized businesses do always play a pivotal role in the all round economic development of the national economy. According to the latest data provided by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), SMEs contribute around 22 percent of the GDP and it creates around 17 lakh businesses in the country. Now it is understood very well how important role these small businesses can play in the country. 

At a time when everyone agrees with the important role that small businesses can play to support an agro-based economy of Nepal, the government’s attitude towards the owners of small businesses is rather lethargic if not shocking. 

All photos by LB Thapa

There are hundreds of thousands of small business owners across the country who face countless problems. Despite several efforts of small business owners, they receive no attention from the government. What they receive every time are assurances and many more assurances. 

In this write up this scribe would like to present the story about a common person who is committed to running a small business of his own. How easy or difficult is to run a small business in Nepal can better be understood from the story of Phanindra Bhatta.      

The hardship of small businessmen

Phanindra Bhatta is one of the small business owners in the country whose struggle for survival must be eye-opening for many. Bhatta is a local resident of Marcel village located in Gorkha district, Bhimsen Rural Municipality, Ward No. 1. While living in the village he was growing seasonal vegetables. However, due to the lack of a stable market and poor transport facility, his income from vegetable selling was highly unstable. 

“My whole family is involved in growing seasonal vegetables. But soon I started facing several problems. As vegetables are highly perishable, I had to take them to market at the earliest possible, but owing to lack of proper transportation, bad weather, several plant-based diseases, and political strikes, my income from the vegetable business was not enough to meet the family’s growing needs. As a result, I had no choice but to quit the vegetable business. For some time I was clueless as to what to do. When I was not sure what profession I should take up, for a time being I became a porter. I used to carry loads from Gorkha bazaar to Ale Bhanjyang to Marcel. When this work did not fare very well then I decided to go abroad”, said Bhatta. 

When asked how the idea of going abroad came to his mind, he said “When I was working as a porter, I had become quite friendly with Mr. Karstan Werner from Germany and Miss Krista Cebis from Austria. I even took them to my village. They liked my village very much and decided to provide financial assistance to Dullav Secondary School. Later they helped me to go to Austria in 2010. I worked there for two years. Though my earning was satisfactory, I was not entirely happy as I felt a yearning for self-employment back at home”. 

Hoping against hope

After having returned from Austria in 2012, Bhatta started livestock farming and growing seasonal vegetables at a small level. He continued doing this business for a few years. During this time he sent his elder daughter Dipa Bhatta and younger son Dipendra Bhatta to Pokhara for higher education. 

“My daughter and son were staying in Pokhara and they were doing very well in their studies. However, back at home, I was facing many hurdles in the livestock and vegetable business. Then I took a huge decision. I decided to shift to Pokhara with my family and also take up a new business and it was selling ‘Rudraksha’ in Pokhara. I had already planted over two dozen Rudraksha plants and they were about to bear fruits”, revealed Bhatta. 

Phanindra Bhatta started bringing cleaned Rudraksha seeds from his hometown Gorkha to sell them in Pokhara. It was his dream to start his new, small business with enormous success. But this was only easier said than done. 

“A few years ago I had planted about two dozens of Rudraksha plants. Many of them have already started bearing Rudraksha seeds. My parents would collect Rudraksha seeds and send the sacks full of Rudraksha seeds to Pokhara. After receiving those raw Rudraksha seeds, the most tedious job is to clean them. My whole family in Pokhara would assist me in cleaning those raw Rudraksha seeds. The cleaning process is an extremely tiresome job”, said Phanindra Bhatta. 

“Cleaning the raw Rudraksha is the most time-consuming task because all I have to do is by hand. Many Indians use cleaning machines to clean Rudraksha seeds. Because they use machines to clean Rudraksha seeds, the final products look much attractive. However, I have to do all the cleaning jobs manually and it takes plenty of time. Moreover, unlike machines I have to make a hole in the center of each Rudraksha seed with my hands…it is extremely time-consuming indeed”, added Bhatta. 

As time passed by Phanindra Bhatta taught himself to make different types of beads and Rudraksha crowns. In recent times, the Rudraksha crown has become quite popular among religious people. Before the Corona pandemic, he would receive four to five orders for making Rudraksha crown. He would also receive orders from temples, Buddhist monasteries, local people, and even foreigners. But nowadays due to frequently imposed lockdown, he receives quite a few orders. 

The rarity of one Mukhi Rudraksha

Rudraksha seeds have one Mukhi to 108 Mukhis. However, nowadays only one Mukhi to 30 Mukhis are found in some parts of the country. 

“I have been in the business of Rudraksha for the last decade, but yet I have not found one Mukhi Rudraksha. It is extremely rare. The truth has it that no one sells one Mukhi Rudraksha. If someone is ready to sell one Mukhi Rudraksha, most probably that Rudraksha must be a fake one. Three, Four, and Five Mukhis are quite common and they are easily available. However, I do have some rare Two Mukhi, Eight Mukhi, Ten Mukhi, and Gauri Shankar Rudraksha”, said Bhatta. 

Over the last few years, Phanindra Bhatta has been facing yet another problem. It is the problem of duplicating Rudraksha. This is a fact that nowadays the market is replete with plenty of duplicate Rudraksha. These Rudrakshas are so deceptive at their appearances that the general public cannot distinguish between original and duplicate Rudraksha seeds.  

Coping with fake Rudraksha

“At the beginning of my business, everything was going on well, but as soon as the Nepali market was flooded with duplicate Rudraksha from India, I started losing my business. More people began taking interest in duplicating Rudraksha as they look more attractive and shiny. Though my Rudraksha is the genuine ones, most buyers tend to purchase shiny and good-looking Rudraksha. They think those good-looking and shiny Rudraksha are the original one and mine the duplicate one”, lamented Bhatta. 

Raw Rudraksha seeds are covered with pulp green hardcover. That has to be boiled and peeled off through a special machine. As far as the making of finished Rudraksha seeds is concerned, cleaning is everything. The beauty of those Rudhraksha can only be enhanced by cleaning them properly.    

“Only if do I get Rudraksha cleaning machine, I could have taken my business to a different level. At the same time, I would also say that those people who are selling duplicate Rudraksha must immediately stop befooling innocent people. Those interested people who want original Rudraksha should contact me. If anyone doubts about my Rudraksha, they can come to my house and see the whole process of cleaning and making of Rudraksha by their own eyes”, assured Bhatta. 

All photos by LB Thapa

Looking for help

At a time when our government talks about the development of traditional and small-scale business, the reality paints a different picture altogether. There are many people like Phanindra Bhata in the country who are struggling hard to sustain their small businesses. But getting almost no help from the local government. Truth has it that many local business owners are largely neglected, ignored, and rejected. 

Lack of finance and technical know-how has always hindered the path of development of small business owners. A country like Nepal which economy is largely based on agriculture, must not take the issues of small business owners for granted. Because these small business owners can play an important role to support the national economy of the country.  

If local business owners are supported to expand their small businesses, it will definitely bring the unemployment rate much down for sure. Thus it can be summarized that the future of the Nepali economy rests in the hands of small business owners. Because without strengthening the hands of small business owners, large industries alone cannot change the face of the nation. The success of the small business will establish a bridge in the economy to bring a healthy equilibrium in the national economy. 

Thus, it is of utmost necessity for the government to take the matter of small business owners with due respect. At the same time, the government should make a concrete economic policy to create a favorable environment for the growth of small businesses in the country.

If you are interested to meet Fadinra and know more about his business, his contact numbers are 988826111331 and 9805211444.

LB Thapa is a Pokhara-based freelance writer and author. Photo: Goma Gurung

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