The story of Darj Inc. and the employment environment of the hills.

 

Darj Inc. as a company was incorporated into existence in 2016 by Prashansa Gurung. It is a historic landmark in the economic landscape of Darjeeling which sees its first tech start up. Darj Inc. was founded by Prashansa to foster new employment opportunities in Darjeeling and provide a digital space for the products and services offered from Darjeeling. In an interview with The Better India she speaks about how this idea came to her when she saw a shop in Janpath that housed Delhi centric local products. The idea was planted like a seed in her mind and it never let her go even as she pursued her career in filmmaking with Times Now. Thus she was drawn back to the hills and established her dream company. It was tough at first but she managed to overcome the hurdles along the way with the biggest one being the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown in 2020. 

Today Darj Inc boasts a considerable business model that serves many purposes under different departments. The bajaar is an online forum of authentic Darjeeling products that are otherwise unavailable online such as Selroti,(a type of bread)  Nanglo, (an instrument for winnowing) Dallay (a native chilli) etc. Jhola was started as a delivery service during the pandemic to support the company but has grown into a profitable venture in its own right. Sewa is an online forum for people of Darjeeling to meet and contribute in services and social initiatives to better the community. And lastly the Den is an assistance service for budding entrepreneurs who may approach the Den for any assistance they require. In the financial year 2022-2023 Darj Inc. has posted a revenue of ₹ 11 lakhs with a steady upward trajectory. 

Sewa and Den showcase the intentions in which the startup was founded. The goal of Prashansa Gurung is to create a functional and efficient employment environment for the youth of Darjeeling. As she notes, majority of the skilled workers migrate to metropolitan areas in search of better job opportunities which has resulted in a brain drain of the hills. By developing a successful business model she hopes to retain the youth of the hills and thus not only provide them with employment but also develop and enrich the economic landscape of Darjeeling. Through Den she wishes to aid those like her who may wish to start their own businesses and she has successfully advised 112 entrepreneurs. It is truly a commendable and admirable venture.

However if we take a step back and assess the situation, what is it that is causing a severe lack of job opportunities in the hills ?

Well the answer is three pronged and these three factors collaborate and work together to create a tumultuous and limited landscape within which the economics of Darjeeling must function. The three factors at play are the limited industries of Darjeeling, the growing skills and needs of the youth and the political instability of the area. Therefore it is really a  difficult problem to approach and there isn't a clear cut one step answer. 

The few avenues that exist within this framework are the tourist industry, the tea industry and the government posts and portfolios. However the tourism industry is saturated and entry into this market is quite cost effective and the competition is ruthless. It still remains the most lucrative business market to enter but its returns have steadily been decreasing in the past few years. The tea industry is ever present but provides very little employment opportunities above paid manual labor. Maximum of the profits are enjoyed by higher ranking officials sitting in Calcutta with a tiny fraction being distributed in the hills. 

Darjeeling as an area does not have a large number of resources which can be turned into major industries. Our major product is tea of which none of the profits are even seen by the people. Besides that most of the earnings comes from the tourism business. There exist BPO's and other opportunities in corporate in Siliguri but this does not really answer the problem. Also they have a tendency to be unethical... read more. Music has always been an integral part of Darjeeling but in the absence of any record labels or film and music industry, it is tough to earn a living. The hiking, cycling and mountaineering industries have seen growth and potential in the past years, but with continuous political strife and the pandemic its growth has rather slowed down. Agriculture and fruit farming are also important industries of the hills. The oranges, elaichi, dallay and passion fruit of Darjeeling is very renowned but with lack of innovation these industries have stagnated. Darjeeling Fresh based in Lopchu is perhaps the most successful venture in the past decade. 

The growth and development of these industries has largely been halted by the continuous political strife of Darjeeling. The pure demand of the people for a separate state has been corrupted and made the crux of the politics in the hills and this has led to a very unstable period. However just as rainwater finds those plants whose roots are healthy to receive it, so too must we strengthen our community before we expect our rights and demands to be fulfilled. Otherwise rainwater will drown the roots of those plants whose roots are not strong. Just as our revolution has drowned our society. It is a pressing and demanding issue, but currently Darjeeling would be better off having a stable political situation in the near future. 

However none of this would matter if the youth do not return to the hills. In the past few decades more and more students of the hills are moving to metropolitan cities, initially for their education and then continue to work there. It is understandable that a town like Darjeeling cannot provide many opportunities for the increasingly skilled students that it is producing as it lacks the businesses and industries. However these can be created by returning professionals of their respective fields. Prashansa Gurung has displayed a masterclass on how this can be achieved, and it is the hope of the economic landscape of Darjeeling that she succeed and inspire many more people. The governing bodies and politicians too need to have a serious conversation about development of businesses and employment in the hills and we as citizens have a responsibility to demand it from them. 

Written by Ariyaan Moktan