Every day, people queue up in front of Mr. Juborlang's shop in Ngunraw village to purchase cement. Why? Because he is the only cement dealer in his village as well as other neighbouring villages. But before starting his cement venture, Mr. Juborlang depended solely on agriculture. His wife was and is a home maker. At the time, farming could easily support him because his family comprised only him and his wife. But his family of two gradually expanded to eleven, and farming alone was no longer sufficient to cover their growing financial needs. While the circumstances were difficult and putting food on the table was a daily challenge, it remained important toMr. Juborlang that his children should have the opportunity to access better education. Thus he did not keep his children back in the fields to help him run his farm. Instead he sent them to a government school in the neighbouring village and encouraged them to study hard in their free time. His constant reminder to them was, "A person who is educated will always survive”.
At the back of his mind, Mr. Juborlang always wanted to start a business. But he did not know where to begin. One day, while he was selling his farm produce at Mawkyrwat market as usual, he overheard one of his customers discussing how entrepreneurs could get assistance by registering at an Enterprise Facilitation Centre (EFC) at the Block headquarters. Eager to know more, Mr.Juborlang spoke to this customer and enquired about the EFC. The very next day he set off with one of his friends to register himself at the Mawkyrwat EFC.
In 2014, MIE was planning an exposure trip to Gujarat where partners would be given intensive training on starting a successful enterprise. On the basis of his commitment and interest, Juborlang was selected for the programme. When he returned to his village, Mr.Juborlang first conducted a survey in his own village and all the neigbouring villages to understand the demand and supply of cement. He had realised that there was a good opportunity to start a cement business in this region but he wanted to do local market research first. The survey results confirmed his hunch about the market potential and so he approached Star Cement for becoming a dealer. Star Cement gave their approval and soon he opened a shop at Ngunraw. Today, his cement business has grown tremendously and he is the cement dealer for all the villages around Ngunraw including Mawkyrwat itself. But that is not all Mr.Juborlang undertook. Once his cement business started flourishing, he started expanding his agricultural activities. Todayhe grows more of high demand crops such as Areca Nut, Betel Vine, Oranges and Broom grass. A true entrepreneur at heart, he also supports fellow farmers who are finding it difficult to sell their agricultural produce, by aggregating and buying their produce and taking itto market.
But Mr. Juborlang himself says that his biggest success has been the education he has been able to give all his children. Today, three of his children are pursuing higher studies in Shillong city while the six younger ones are all studying at schools in Mawkyrwat.