Guwahati: IT and more!

Situated amidst the southern banks of the mighty Brahmaputra (the only male river of the country), and the Shillong plateau, Guwahati is apparently the most important city in the northeast. Formerly known as Pragjyotishpur (the city of eastern light), Guwahati is the commercial capital of the northeastern state of Assam. Besides the one-horned rhinos, crop-cutting festival Bihu and the sacred Kamakhya Temple Guwahati definitely has much more to offer. The gateway to the seven other northeastern states, the city is a vital tourist base point. It is a major commercial and educational center of eastern India and is home to world class institutions such as the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati.

One of the fastest growing cities in the country, Guwahati is perhaps the only IT hub in the region. Although the city has been slow in adapting IT in its daily life, off-late the city has seen many developments in this sector. The government of Assam has even proposed to develop an IT Park in the LGB International Airport area of Guwahati.

Apart from the fact that no new trend has come up in the city, partners claim, that the market has recovered from the gloomy days of recession and slowdown. In-spite of the chain of festivals occurring in the recent past, the market has remained dormant since the past two months. Affirming the same, Surendra Kumar Chorasia of Jain Infosys said that the market has been doing an average business since the last two months irrespective of the festivities. While the shift from desktops to laptops has been quite predictable, the demand for laptops in the city is on an all time high now. "Laptops are the top selling products in the city and the home segment has been contributing the most in the city's business," Chorasia said. Predicting the future of the IT market in Guwahati, Chorasia said that the level of competition will get tougher by the day and one has to put in their best to sustain in the market.

Market Name: Guwahati
Market Location: Assam
Surrounding Markets: Kolkata, Siliguri, Bhubaneswar, Patna
Computer Association: North East Computer Trader Association (NECTA)
Prominent Dealers: Datamation Services, BMG Informatics, Jain Infosys, Elite Computers & Communication, Infotech International, Computer Appliances, Balaji Computers
Business Verticals: Government, corporate, SOHO

Interview: Ranjan K Das, CEO, Elite Computers & Communication

What are the growth verticals you see these days? What are the top selling products and brands in your city?
In Guwahati, Government sector is the major growth vertical, followed by the corporate and the home segment. Laptops are selling the most these days. While HP and Dell remains the most preferred brands.

What are the major problems you face with your vendors?
We do not face any problem with our vendors, they are very reasonable in their dealings with us.

Do you have any computer association in Guwahati? How active is it in solving your problem?
North East Computer Trader Association (NECTA), which was formed in 2003, is the only active computer association in Guwahati. It is capable of solving all our problems as and when we face any.

What are your market predictions for this year?
2011, 2012 will be the most growing year for It in the region. I predict the government and the corporate sector to flourish even more.