Kunjalata Rabha belongs to a small tribal family residing at Mejengabari in Chhaygaon block along the Assam boarder. One will definitely feel that the nature tried her best to make this village more and more attractive through these beautiful creations. But still the villagers were running behind the people of other developed parts of the state.
She lives with her husband, and two children. They have around 5 Bighas of cultivable land including homestead land and totally dependent on farming. Earlier their yearly gross income was ₹47,000 gross income was (₹ 8,500/- from rainfed paddy, ₹26,700 from wage income, Livestock ₹4000/-, Betel nut ₹7,800/-). There were so many problems in her family in all the levels. Her husband Mr. Digen Rabha a daily wage labour but at times it was very difficult for him to meet both ends as it was very difficult to get job at his own village and he compelled to outside looking for job as daily wage labor, but as a farmer he tried his best to manage his family by farming activities, but he could hardly manage. Though he had 5.0 Bighas of lands out of which in 2.0 bighas of land Kunjalata and her husband cultivated only paddy in Kharif season. But the huge area of his homestead land was remaining unused except a few Areca nut plants and Lemon standing there.
In 2020-21 Kunjalata somehow came in contact with a volunteer of Grameen Sahara who was working in Ukiam area (under Chhaygaon Block) under a agri-based livelihood project supported by Azim Premji Foundation. Kunjalata approached him and expressed her willingness to participate in the project was going to start a project in her village and she became a member of an FPG (Farmers Producer Group). As per discussion with her husband Kunjalata started the cultivation of Turmeric, Black Pepper, King Chili and a few seasonal vegetables. That was the beginning of the new journey of Kunjalata and her family. Step by step her life started taking a new turn.
Now, Kunjalata wants to extend and expand her farming activities up to Grant-1 she could cover only 1.5 Bighas of her homestead. Now she wants to cover the remaining 1.5 Bigha land for the cultivation other remunerative crops- Assam Lemon, Pineapple and Papaya along with the spices. She plans to increase the nos. of Black Pepper vines as there are 160 nos. of Areca nut plants (host plants for Black Pepper) in her homestead (in Grant-1 she planted 55 nos. of vines) and now she wants to cover all the Areca nut through the plantation of Black Pepper vines to enhance her family income double from the current level.
Executive Director, Grameen Sahara
Mr. Das is a postgraduate in Business Administration with over 13 years of experience in community development. He began his career in market research and sales with a leading Indian IT company before transitioning to the development sector. He has held various roles in program management, strategy development, partnership building, and coordination across areas such as microfinance, livelihoods, community development, participatory decision-making, and development administration. He has been instrumental in promoting several community-owned institutions that continue to function successfully and brings a strong combination of grassroots insight and managerial experience.
Founder, Grameen Sahara & MD, GDFPL
Mr.Das is a graduate of Assam Agricultural University with a PG Diploma in Rural Development and is a Certified Expert in Microfinance. He has attended the Middle Management Programme at IIM Ahmedabad and a specialised programme at Wageningen University on organized farmers in agribusiness. His experience spans RGVN, Sa-Dhan (New Delhi), and HDFC Bank (Agri & Microfinance, Corporate Banking Group), before joining Grameen Sahara as CEO. A grassroots leader, his interests include community development, microfinance, natural resource management, social entrepreneurship, and institution building, with extensive experience in social mobilization and systems strengthening. He also serves on the boards of CML Society, CoE, NEMFA, and Diya Foundation.
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Chhaygaon College
Dr. Das is a faculty member at Chhaygaon College, Kamrup, Assam, with strong grassroots understanding and experience in livelihoods, community development, participatory decision-making, development administration, civil society engagement, and issues related to land, food, and development.
Founder, Eri Weaves
Iaishah Rymbai is an entrepreneur, master weaver, and social leader with over 20 years of experience in handloom weaving and natural dyeing. She is the Founder & Director of Eri Weave Pvt. Ltd., promoting sustainable Eri silk weaving and empowering artisans, especially women, in Meghalaya. She also serves as Founder Secretary of the Raid Iapngar Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society (since 2009), President of the Cluster Level Federation, Bhoirymbong under NRLM (since 2023), and a Non-Official Member of the District Planning and Development Council, Ri Bhoi District (since 2024). Recognized among the Top 50 Entrepreneurs in Meghalaya’s PRIME Cohort 2.0, her work focuses on sustainable livelihoods, skill development, and preservation of cultural heritage.
Sr. Manager, Ethical Sourcing, Twinings
Mr. Borah is currently working as Ethical Sourcing Manager, India & Sri Lanka at Twinings. He is also a Ford fellow and has a grassroots understanding and experience in livelihood, Community Development, participatory decision making, development administration, civil society, land food and development.
Director, Policy & Technical Support, WaterAid
Mr. Sinha is a social development specialist with over 27 years of experience in strategy, partnerships, grant-making, programme design and scale-up, and policy formulation. He has a deep understanding of Indian social issues and is skilled in engaging diverse stakeholders to build development models that have been successfully scaled by mainstream agencies. He has worked across leading Indian non-profits, from grassroots implementation to policy-level engagement, and played a key role in shaping strategy and institutional partnerships at Tata Trusts. He is currently associated with WaterAid India as Director – Policy and Technical Support.
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT – Guwahati
Dr. Kalita is a Professor at IIT Guwahati with strong grassroots understanding and experience in livelihood promotion, community development, participatory decision-making, development administration, civil society engagement, and issues related to land, food, and development.
Former MD, AIIDC
Mr. Saikia is an engineering graduate and also holds a postgraduate degree in Arts. He has served as the Managing Director of AIIDC and as Additional Director in the Department of Industries, Government of Assam. He also served on deputation as General Manager at NEDFi. A dynamic and grounded technocrat, he is deeply committed to development initiatives. Mr. Saikia is a dedicated professional with strong engagement among young entrepreneurs in Assam and is widely regarded as an inspiration to emerging entrepreneurs.