1. Making India Employable (MIE) is an organization that helps train young people, particularly from Northeast India, to develop skills to find employment. 2. MIE is operating a training center in Gurgaon, Haryana where they are providing 6-month courses in beauty, computers, and hospitality to students from Arunachal Pradesh. 3. The document reflects on the author's memories visiting Arunachal Pradesh in 2012 and 2014, and how interacting with MIE students brought those memories back.

1. What
happened
@ MIE,
Gurgaon?
March 11, 2014

2. Prikshit Dhanda…
Yes, this is Prikshit Dhanda.
Until two months ago, we were
strangers.
But no longer.
Who’s he?
Good question.
Why did he interest me?
Another good question.

3. Before you proceed to know more about
Dhanda…
Meet Manish Varma
No, he is not a musician – or guitarist fulltime…
But loves playing soulful tunes
Manish is Dhanda’s right hand man at Making
India Employable (MIE).
What’s that?

4. Making India Employable is in the
business of helping youngsters –
particularly from the north eastern
India – to develop skill sets that can
help them earn a livelihood through
proper career planning.
MIE of Dhanda is funded by
government of India.
The lawyer-turned-entrepreneur
with a noble cause of skilling the
future India operates from Gurgaon,
Haryana.

6. These girls from Arunachal Pradesh are undergoing
training to become professional beauticians. It is a six-
months course, structured on a curriculum cleared by
the government.
Selected by Arunachal Pradesh government, these
students are put under the custody of MIE during the
duration of the course.
They are housed, fed and taught.
At the end, they are given a Certificate about their
proficiency.
This will perhaps enable them pursue their chosen
career option.

8. Here’s another group of Arunachal Pradesh
girls learning the intricacies of computer
education.
Yes, they do miss their home.
But they know it is just a short six months.
When they return, they know they have
something to pursue as a career.

9. These bunch of youngsters – again from Arunachal Pradesh – are pursuing their
dream career in hospitality care. One of the biggest assets these Arunachali
youngsters possess is their linguistic comfort: Hindi and English – very fluent and
good command in both languages

10. On a recent visit to MIE, Gurgaon (more such facilities are underway, confirms
Dhanda), these bright students remind me of my three week long visit to their home
state – Arunachal Pradesh – in 2012 and again in January this year.

11. Sub Inspector Tatak (right) was pissed off with me while on the way from Tezu to
Roing. We were crossing the mighty Siang (Brahmaputra river), I was ‘. wow, wow’ing
– enjoying the river boat ride. He said he had to travel every week on Sumo jeep for
some distance, then some boat ride, again Sumo ride, again boat ride. No pucca
road. MIE students had a hearty laugh!

12. At Pangin, after a long and tortuous ride from Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh Minister
for Industries and his wife honour by giving me the traditional Aruanchali jacket.

13. This gentleman farmer, at Roing, asks me to wait and rushes into his backyard with a
shot gun. Next 30 minutes, he returns with a dead deer to make “hiren soup” for me.
When I tell him, “I’m a vegetarian”, he responds: “Even this hiren is vegetarian!”

14. No story about Arunachal Pradesh is complete without talking about “Mithun” – the
most sacred bovine creature among the vairous tribes. One’s prosperity is measured
by the number of “Mithuns” one owns… Cattle richness is truly a yardstick here.

15. @ Ziro with an Apatani lady, working at a kiwi plantation.

16. This lady vendor at Itanagar market offers 20% discount on “live” worms collected
from riverbed to me as a special geture to someone from far off… When I tell her
that “I’m a vegetarian”, she said that all the more reason I must buy because
vegetarian food is short on protein.

17. Well, my engagement with Arunachal Pradesh is unending. Manish Varma and his
north east group of musically inclined students through their performance at Indian
Oil Corp’s Manesar outlet on International Women’s Day (March 8, 2014) made he
wade through my Arunachal memories. Thanks, Manish! Thanks, Prikshit!

18. Wonderful memories of the mighty Siang…
And this rocking and dangerous rope bridge @ Sissen, en route to Pangin from
Pasighat?
Longing to go back to Arunachal Pradesh.
When can I come, Mr Tage Tatung?