Odisha News, Odisha Latest news, Odisha Daily - OrissaPOST
  • Home
  • Trending
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Feature
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • More..
    • Odisha Special
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
    • Careers
    • Sci-Tech
    • Timeout
    • Horoscope
    • Today’s Pic
  • Video
  • Epaper
  • News in Odia
  • Home
  • Trending
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Feature
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • More..
    • Odisha Special
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
    • Careers
    • Sci-Tech
    • Timeout
    • Horoscope
    • Today’s Pic
  • Video
  • Epaper
  • News in Odia
No Result
View All Result
OrissaPOST - Odisha Latest news, English Daily -
No Result
View All Result

Blessings in Disguise

Though the outbreak of coronavirus has cost over 20 million Indians their jobs leaving scores of youths a state of depression, there are many who took it as an opportunity to look for greener pastures

Post News Network
Updated: January 5th, 2021, 18:15 IST
in Feature
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on Linkedin

Nearly, a month ago, Dipak Swain, an electrical engineer from Paradip, was asked by his company to tender his resignation. His services were no longer required, he was told. It came as a rude shock to Dipak who was hired less than two years ago.

Dipak, 25-year-old software engineer, was one of the several thousand jobless whose dreams have already been shattered while many still face layoffs due to the outbreak of coronavirus. As many as 21 million salaried jobs have been lost between April and August, according to a recent report by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).Job loss and pay cuts have become an order of the day since the imposition of lockdown leaving many youngsters in a state of depression.

Also Read

Surfing

Watch Viral Video: Jealous duck targets surfer; what it does next leaves everyone stunned

1 day ago
Viral video

Viral video: Cornered by wild boars, leopard pulls off bold move; watch now

1 day ago

However, there are some youths who were not bogged down by the situation. Moreover, they used it as an opportunity and explored other avenues. Sunday POST talks to some of them who came out stronger after their job loss.

Sushant Sahoo of Bhubaneswar was working in an NGO as a state youth coordinator and living comfortably till the outbreak of the pandemic.  Becoming jobless overnight was beyond his imagination.

“I was asked to go on leave in April during the lockdown and not to be called back again.  Then, I tried to find jobs in other sectors, but in vain. I also had no savings for such a lean phase. Earlier, my wife used to run a beauty parlour and take art classes. So, life was easy. But exhaustion of all sources of earning after the lockdown left us in dire straits. I had other financial obligations too. The condition was such that we couldn’t pay the house rent,” he said.

But Sushant didn’t slip into depression and decided to fight back.  His wife was a good cook and the couple decided to prepare snacks and sell them going from door to door.

“Initially, we distributed snacks among our friends and relatives who later recommended our products to their connections. Gradually the business picked up pace and we could create a space for ourselves in the market.”

Sushant and his wife have been delivering snacks to as many as 100 families apart from other interested customers. The business is growing steadily and the entrepreneurial couple is enjoying their new profession.

“My income got doubled after I got into this new business.  We are selling eatables worth Rs 50,000 every month. Now we are all set to venture into grocery business. Apart from snacks, we are also selling various types of badi, papad, turmeric powder and different types of oil.”

His wife says “Nothing is impossible in this world if you have the will to get success. We used to earn Rs 9,000 per month from art class and Rs 20,000 from my beauty parlour. After the government declared the lockdown, I had to down the shutters of my parlour and art class while my husband was asked to go on a leave. We were hit with a double whammy. But he didn’t lose heart and took it as an opportunity to do something different and prosper.”

Multitalented Kasturi Patnaik is another case in point. She was working as a special educator in a Bhubaneswar-based hearing therapy clinic. After the lockdown, she became jobless as people stopped coming to the clinic. Being a professional, Kasturi couldn’t sit idle for too long. It was then she decided to showcase her culinary skill by launching her start-up Petafull, a door-to-door food delivery service.  Today Kasturi has succeeded in creating a space for herself among the food lovers of Bhubaneswar.

“After I stopped going to the clinic, I was almost in depression. As I was idling at home, I thought of cooking food and delivering them at people’s door steps to make some money. To my surprise, I not only became popular among the foodies and it gave me a new identity,” said Kasturi.

Initially Kasturi provided food to her close friends including a few food bloggers and lovers. They supported Katuri and helped her reach out to several groups of avid food lovers. “I started getting orders from all parts of the city and my friends made it possible for me. They helped in launching my start-up and developing the contacts. During the lockdown period, my father used to pay rent for me. Now I am happy that I am in a position to pay the house rent. I am no more depending on my father for anything. Now I am earning Rs 50,000 a month from my start-up. I have employed two persons to assist me.  I would like to attribute my success to my friends who believed in me and supported me like anything.”

Cuttack-based graphic designer Ishwar Sahoo was working with a software farm as a graphic designer and was happy in his life. The farm faced closure soon after the government declared lockdown.  Needless to say, he too was in a state of panic like many other job losers. At this hour of crisis, Ishwar explored his other skills to eke out a living. He was popular in his locality for making posters of cinemas, TV serials, and advertisements. So, he thought of opening a shop to cash in on his skill. Keeping in view the enormity of the pandemic, he first prepared 3-D masks having images of the face of the user. Then he came up with rakhi packages which were sold like hotcakes with customers from across the state and other states like Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Delhi and Bangalore placing orders. With a growth in business, he has now employed a few other people who earn a living from this project.

About his journey from an employee to an employer, Ishwar says, “When I was working with a private firm, my monthly salary was only Rs 20,000. So, I would say the pandemic situation has been a blessing in disguise. Now I am earning more than Rs 50,000 a month. Earlier, I was a mere employee but now I am happy that I have managed to create earning opportunities for a few others. I would like to owe my success to my friends Mukesh and Sesadeva for being with me in my bad time and boosting my morale when I was feeling low.”

He continues: “The outbreak of coronavirus has taught me a lesson. I have learnt to accept the harsh reality.  The job loss didn’t affect my morale as I got the unflinching support from my friends. After getting fired, I embarked on a new journey. I became quite popular for selling 3D masks and special rakhi kits online during the time of crisis. I did not charge extra for home delivery.”

Recently, the company sent a request letter to Ishwar asking him to rejoin but he humbly refused the offer.

                                                                                                                                        Rashmi Rekha Das, OP

Tags: Disguise
ShareTweetSendShare
Suggest A Correction

Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox.

 

OrissaPOST epaper Sunday POST OrissaPOST epaper

Click Here: Plastic Free Odisha

#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sisirkumar Maharana

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Pragyan Priyambada

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Adyasha Priyadarsani Sendha

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Ramakanta Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Anup Mahapatra

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

D Rama Rao

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Adweeti Bhattacharya

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Saishree Satyarupa

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Archana Parida

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Swarit Praharaj

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Mandakini Dakua

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Smitarani Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Rajashree Pravati Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Geetanjali Patro

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Aman Kumar Barisal

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Anshuman Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Narendra Kumar

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Kamana Singh

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Manas Samanta

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sarmistha Nayak

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Arya Ayushman

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sipra Mishra

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Faiza Firdous

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Pitabas Tripathy

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Pratik Kumar Ghibela

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Mrutyunjaya Behera

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sibarama Khotei

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Subhajyoti Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Adrita Bhattacharya

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Parbati Mohanty

December 12, 2019

Archives

Editorial

Systemic Suppression

May 25, 2025

The project of democracy is essentially about the liberty of the individual. Adherence to social mores and cultural values can...

Read more

All Smoke, No Fire

May 24, 2025

With just days to go before acting DGP Prashant Kumar hangs up his boots on May 31, the race to...

Read more

Super Sunday Polls

May 21, 2025

It is not without reason that Sunday, 18 May, was regarded as an electoral “Super Sunday” when millions of voters...

Read more

Nation First

Col Sofiya Qureshi
May 20, 2025

After a laudable show of unity by the Indian government and the Opposition on the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on...

Read more
  • Home
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
Developed By Ratna Technology

© 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

  • News in Odia
  • Orissa POST Epaper
  • Video
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Metro
  • State
  • Odisha Special
  • National
  • International
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Editorial
  • Entertainment
  • Horoscope
  • Careers
  • Feature
  • Today’s Pic
  • Opinion
  • Sci-Tech
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs

© 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

    • News in Odia
    • Orissa POST Epaper
    • Video
    • Home
    • Trending
    • Metro
    • State
    • Odisha Special
    • National
    • International
    • Sports
    • Business
    • Editorial
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscope
    • Careers
    • Feature
    • Today’s Pic
    • Opinion
    • Sci-Tech
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs

    © 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST