“Real work is when you don’t feel that you are working at all. It is when passion surpasses the compulsion to work and time just flies by. It doesn’t have to be something grand.” These are the words of a famous entrepreneur, Mr. Amrit Ratna Shakya, who rose against the barriers of his physical challenges and built himself a life he is proud of today. He believes that self-confidence and passion for work along with the enthusiasm to prove oneself are the keys to success. Living by this mission and vision, he established A.R. Fashion Design & Sewing Institute a decade ago. Ever since then this institute has been providing training to 500 people annually. What is more inspiring is the fact that among these trainees 25-30% of them move on to open their own enterprise. During their training, the aspiring designers are taught to develop and launch fashion lines of their own. The learners get a hands-on entrepreneurial experience in product development, enjoy benefits of co-working memberships, and build connections to small batch manufacturers, all at a very affordable cost.
“Ours is a society where disability is taken as a taboo and the disabled are considered incapable. Unfortunately, this taboo starts right from the family level in most cases and mine was no different. Yet there was little I could complain about given I already was a “burden” to many. That’s what inspired me to open this fashion institute in 2048 B.S. as a founder trainer,” says Mr. Ratna Shakya. His words depict the true essence of entrepreneurship which lies in one’s true passion for making their beliefs come true. He lost both his legs due to polio in his early childhood and yet he successfully completed his SLC examinations as a private student. He then went on to get vocational training in fashion designing and sewing, as these were the areas of his interest. There, he met a tutor who suggested him to join NGO named Khagendra Nawajeevan Kendra (KNK) hoping that he would have a positive experience and a friendly and comfortable environment flourish. However, the reality was quite different. He was frequently humiliated and bullied there because of his physical disabilities. However, the undaunted person Mr. Shakya was, he didn’t retaliate but rather turned these humiliations into encouragement and worked even harder to prove them all wrong through achievements which they all thought he was incapable of. This was also his shot at contributing towards changing the attitude of the society towards a differently abled person.
He recalls that when he first began this institute, he just had a hand sewing machine worth Rs 900 and started his business from a small room of his house. When he began his business, he had to face many obstacles due to late payments and disgrace from snobbish clients. But he was indifferent to all the negativities and continued his work regardless. His persistence and belief in himself enabled him to set up A. R. Fashion design and training institute in 1991 with his hard-earned savings. The first batch had six trainees and one trainer, Mr. Shakya himself. However, today there are 350 students and eight trainers and the classes run on six shifts a day. With his dedication he has turned the institute into one that offers a variety of courses such as the six months basic course, three months special course, a year-long diploma course, two-year fashion designing course and dress designing course. The cost of the basic course is Rs 600 whereas the cost of dress designing is Rs 4000 per month. With this institute, he is not only being self-reliant but is also providing employment to people through successful entrepreneurship.
Mr. Shakya’s story reflects an extraordinary tale of determination, persistence, and entrepreneurship. His story shows that no obstacle is big enough to stop a person from getting what they truly aspire. Moreover, what makes a true entrepreneur is the willpower to transform impossibilities into opportunities. “Being an enterprise in a much sought after field, the filtration rate of applicants is very high,” Shakya said. He highlighted the fact that if we are patient enough to look for it and determined enough to try it, there are many opportunities in Nepal. He also mentioned that there is no such thing as big or small work and challenges can’t stop a dedicated and determined person from success. Entrepreneurs like Mr. Shakya and their success stories are adding great value to our entrepreneurial ecosystem and provides inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs. The message Mr. Shakya has for the aspiring entrepreneurs is “It’s not just about money, it’s more about the self-respect one gets from entrepreneurship.” No wonder he is widely respected. It’s the stories of entrepreneurs like Mr. Shakya that will help transform the society into something that is more open, inclusive and provides opportunities for all to excel.