Ramdia's Bhupen Deka: an entrepreneur with a difference

MAJORKURI (Hajo), February 10: It is an area that was once infamous as a breeding ground for insurgency. Though the people living here are relatively well-to-do, development, in modern terms, is still quite a long way off. While most locals had resigned themselves to their fate, one man stood out and decided to make things happen rather than wait for it to happen. Bhupen Deka, the middle-aged man hailing from here, is today the guiding light for scores of youth in the area. Defying all odds, Deka has set up Brahmaputra Petrochemicals Pvt Ltd, a petrochemicals processing industry, here, on the fringes of Ramdia village in the Hajo development block. Employing dozens of local youth, the plant manufactures assorted items like thinner, putty, primer, cleaning solvent, varnish, paint, adhesives and printing ink - all sold under the 'Brahmaputra' brandname. Terming it as a tribute to the mighty Brahmaputra, the factory was inaugurated exactly a year ago. Today, the company has been able to carve a niche for itself in a highly competitive market. The products are being sold all over the Northeast. Showing the immense potential that this region has, even Bangladesh has evinced interest in Deka's products. Deka has set himself a target of a monthly turnover of Rs 1.5 crore. He has invested Rs 37 lakh on the machinery for the factory. He has been financed by the Northeastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) and the Canara Bank. The road to achieving Deka's dream has been tough. There were a lot of inherent obstacles that he had to overcome. First, of course, was the interior location of the factory that made it so difficult to transport machinery and even raw materials. "But I wanted to set up the factory here itself because this is where I was born," he explains. Secondly, there was the problem of sourcing raw materials. Deka, who is managing director of the company, and his wife, who is director, had to undertake several trips out of the region. In New Delhi, they were duped of Rs 6 lakh until Reliance Industries' MC Borah came forward to help them. In fact, production at the plant could start just three months ago from now. As if that were not enough, Deka also had to encounter the problem of marketability of his products. There were quite a few sceptics who doubted the quality of a local product. Eventually, he was able to win the trust of the dealers as well as the customers. Bhupen Deka is not one to rest on his oars. Already, he has formulated an expansion plan to upgrade his factory into a full-fledged paint industry. Besides, he has plans to produce handloom products and even containers. The mission of the petrochemical project is to cater to the immediate industrial requirement of the region and to fulfil the hopes of the local people. Brahmaputra Petrochemicals has taken upon itself the task of facilitating the socio-economic development of the people of Ramdia. On the occasion of its first anniversary celebrations sewing machines were distributed to a local women's organisation along with books to a local library. In a meeting held at the factory site, Deka also announced monetary prizes for the first three girls who passed the matriculation examinations from the Kaliram Medhi Girls' High School. A sports meet for local school children was also held. The company also donated Rs 5,001 towards the relief fund for victims of the Gujarat quake. Stating that the plant was a matter of pride, editor of 'Dainik Agradoot' Kanak Sen Deka, who addressed the meeting, said that 99 per cent of the people of Assam were good and wanted to work. "Only the ULFA and the SULFA is not Assam," he stressed. He said that people should take up the work of development themselves without looking up to the government. Only development could restore peace, he said. Retired principal of Ramdia High School Kanak Chandra Choudhury presided over the function. Among those who spoke were litterateur Riju Hazarika, Dhubri district information officer SC Baishya, Nehru Yuva Kendra district youth coordinator at Dhubri, Tapas Kumar Pramanik and Bhupen Deka himself.