Call her an enthusiastic entrepreneur, but Artilin Row Thangkhiew might prefer the moniker ‘passionpreneur’, for what she does is for the love of it.
Thangkhiew, who was born and brought up in Shillong, was the first in Meghalaya, and probably in the North East, to set up an IT solutions company. She is also the owner of a local spices company that exports indigenous produce across the country.
Thangkhiew’s corporate job has allowed her to live in different cities in the country, including Gurgaon and Mumbai. In 2004, she quit her corporate career to embark on a journey that would earn her several accolades. Then in her thirties, Thangkhiew started ETPL India, an IT solutions company that was registered in 2005.
“ETPL was the first-of-its-kind company here and we have worked closely with several organizations and institutions to provide the right solutions. We have done numerous projects for NEHU (North-Eastern Hill University) as well as various government departments. We also made people aware of the various IT-related licenses, which were new in the state,” Thangkhiew, now in her early fifties, told Meghalaya Monitor.
ETPL was also the first in the state to roll out employment skill development training under a government project funded by the World Bank. It was also the pioneer in making the local youths aware of the jobs fair and its modus operandi.
“Not many know how this works and often end up paying money to agencies. But we would make candidates aware that they need not pay an entity for placing them. The transaction happens among companies and not with an individual. Besides, we have provided training in hospitality and helped youths get employment in renowned companies, like the Oberoi group,” Thangkhiew said.
Now that the state government is focusing on setting up IT parks in the state, the award-winning entrepreneur believes that there should be “a lot of encouragement for the locals”.
“Let the local entrepreneurs grow. The government should give more projects to the locals. Let them make some noise. This way, it will open up channels for others to grow,” she added as she referred to ventures such as Satyam and Infosys.
ETPL has already spread its wings in Mumbai and Delhi where its trainers provide skills training in spaces such as business analytics and management.
However, the highly technology-driven venture faces hurdles in the form of frequent power cuts and poor internet connectivity
