Dimapur: In a remarkable story of resilience and determination, a 37-year-old visually impaired apiarist from Leankonger village in Nagaland’s Shamator district has carved a successful path in beekeeping.
Tsangmong, who lost his eyesight in childhood due to illness, began his apiculture journey nearly five years ago—without any formal training. Inspired by information shared by fellow villagers, he taught himself beekeeping through patience, experimentation, and persistence.
His efforts came to wider attention during scientific beekeeping training programmes conducted under the National Bee Board–National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBB–NBHM). The programmes, implemented by the School of Agricultural Sciences, Nagaland University, Medziphema campus, were held across eastern Nagaland districts, including Shamator, from January 19 to January 27.
Impressed by his skills and determination, the technical team fondly referred to Tsangmong as the “Miracle Beekeeper”.
Using locally available materials, he constructs semi-traditional handmade bee boxes and manages his colonies independently. His first colony was formed when a natural swarm settled near his home. Identifying it by sound, he carefully transferred the swarm into a handmade box.
Though progress was slow initially, his perseverance paid off. Today, Tsangmong maintains four active bee colonies and harvests honey several times a year. Notably, he determines the right time for harvesting by lifting the boxes and judging their weight—relying on touch and experience rather than sight.
His journey highlights the inclusive potential of apiculture as a livelihood option.
During one of the training sessions at Leankonger village, Shamator SDO (Civil) Bodi Kapfo handed over a scientific bee box to Tsangmong, underscoring how scientific beekeeping can empower individuals across abilities while strengthening rural livelihoods.
The intensive training and demonstration programmes aimed to build farmer capacity, promote scientific apiculture practices, enhance livelihood opportunities, and improve oilseed crop productivity through organised beekeeping.
The project was led by Mary N Odyuo, associate professor and principal investigator, along with Avinash Chauhan, scientist under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Honey Bees and Pollinators, as co-principal investigator.