When Covid struck a year ago and the sudden lockdown forced the itinerant Shillong Chamber Choir to cancel their engagements, they did not despair but found other creative ways of using their time and resources. They thought out of the box and came up with the idea of home delivering groceries and other domestic products to the elderly who are advised not to venture out. Slowly their clientele grew and now they are well established as a home delivery company under the banner of Uncle’s Ark. The Shillong Times spoke to William R Basaiawmoit who supervises over the new business even as he continues to be the male solo lead whenever the Choir performs in the virtual space which they continue to do on request.
ST: So one year down the line. how is Uncle’s Ark doing?
WRB: First of all we could have never imagined ourselves to be where we are today As is often the case with our leader Uncle Neil (Neil Nongkynrih, director Shillong Chamber Choir) we believe in humble beginnings.
A good example of this is the Shillong Chamber Choir (SCC) which we never imagined would evolve into what it is today. So looking back on this year, we actually wanted to serve a few, mainly those who were afraid of venturing out of their homes due to the pandemic and a few other people in our neighbourhood as well. But today we are the main distributors of Bob’s Red Mill, a fantastic company for gluten free products, ideal for those who have celiac disease, diabetes and generally anyone who wants to live a healthier life. Normally healthy food options can taste awful but not with Bob’s Red Mill. You can almost not taste the difference between white flour and the more healthy alternative of almond flour. From simple essentials in the beginning, we’re now selling a range of luxury groceries as well.
Now, with the second more virulent wave and impending lockdowns which we hope will not stretch, provided people strictly adopt Covid appropriate behaviour and cooperate with the government, we are preparing ourselves for the worst.
There’s a lot of re-stocking and the Ark’s Dining will soon be fully functional with selected dishes that will make people feel safe while also enjoying a good meal, perhaps with dishes that are less available in Shillong. For example, we have a wide variety of sea-food items which include Norwegian Salmon, Tuna (not canned), Lobster etc. Of course while venturing on any new journey, there are teething problems, but I think we’ve learnt the trade and now we’re all ready to go full swing.
ST: What’s your customer base and how do you meet their requirements?
WRB: Our customer base comprises our warm contacts and we also reach out by word of mouth. Like any other enterprise, we also use social media and our website etc. to make people aware of our presence in Shillong. Uncle Neil is an excellent cook so we tell him to do little cooking shows on YouTube, but I think he is inundated with the five albums he’s working on. He is about to complete the first one with major labels. Coming back to the question, we do meet our client’s requirements to the best of our abilities despite bad traffic (that’s one of the biggest hurdles). We have a customer service centre to answer queries, but also to form bonds of friendship with customers as well. This makes it more personalised and the Ark is all about inclusivity, warmth and excellence without the hubris of a branded store.
ST: What would you say is the speciality of Uncle’s Ark that sets it apart from other home delivery grocery stores?
WRB: This is a difficult one to answer because we’re still at a nascent stage. But definitely the fact that we have stuffed meat samosas says a lot about us. This is also very much the motto of the SCC with our singing. We try not to copy others, but instead fill a gaping hole which people tend to miss out on. It says something about SCC that many try to mimic us and even use our brand to sell themselves.
ST: Your customers say you are very professional at carving meat products that makes them cook faster. How did you learn the trade?
WRB: Our vision was to make sure that those who order from Uncle’s Ark should get all their grocery needs fulfilled from our store and not have to step out of their homes and put their lives at risk. And as a meat eating community, we had to learn the trade from all the butchers we could ask help from and of course YouTube taught us a lot as well. Bringing about a certain excellence to the craft was a goal and it seems to have worked.
ST: Customers also say they feel safe when your delivery boys come to their doorsteps since they are clothed in protective PPE gear. How does UA maintain that level of hygiene? Do you charge a bit more for home delivery at such a hygienic and safe level?
WRB: We have learnt on hindsight that standard Covid protocols are what we can do something about to make the essential difference at such a frightful time. “Be kind” is a motto often followed at Uncle’s Ark, which is to be considerate about those around you.
Apart from the promised hygiene, maintaining the highest level of sincerity with the protocols towards our customers is part of our duty.
Charging for what’s due to our customers would be going against our ethical base which revolves around the concept of warmth and friendship.
ST: What have you learnt about the business since you first started?
WRB: We learnt birthing an idea and then executing is almost a quantum leap. There’s always something round the corner that would either foil the ideal and at other times what we thought would not work, seems to have such a popular demand, like Uncle’s Smoked Beef Pickle and the Frozen Yogurt that is coming out in different flavours.
ST: So what grocery items do you have on sale and what food items are available on order?
WRB: That is impossible to list here but interested people can visit our website on www.unclesark.com for our range of over 400 products.
ST: And what about the singing? What plans are afoot and how do you find the time for practice?
WRB: As mentioned earlier we are about to complete another album which will be released at the earliest. But there are hurdles we need to cross and we don’t know the challenges ahead. The album has been astutely chosen to include songs where the music and words are intended to heal and comfort the listeners in the present climate of gloom that we are passing through, not least our own country.
As was the case with the Christmas album, we had to do a lot of work in the Ark as well, but we still found time to practice and record. Thankfully, SCC is not just about a bunch of 11 singers, it’s an entourage where, (for example) our string section is done in the UK, our percussion in South India, our editing in New Zealand and our engineers are in Washington D.C. and Mumbai. I hope you get the picture. It’s like making a film where although the main characters are few, but when you look at the end credits, there’s an entire work force behind it.
Then there’s Uncle Neil and his strictness about punctuality. We can never be late for rehearsals. He believes that everything whether good or bad has its source at the grassroots level. The discipline and teaching we have imbibed has enabled us to learn very quickly even when it’s a foreign language which we don’t speak.
ST: What’s the concept behind ‘Uncle’s Ark?’
WRB: Well, it was first conceived after we watched the movie Schindler’s list. Later we discovered that the original book was called Schindler’s Ark, and then of course there’s Noah’s Ark which saved people during the deluge. So it is about rendering service to our fellow humans. And as it says in the movie Schindler’s List, we can’t help everyone in the world, but we can definitely have a list in our hearts of those who need our services, whether it is quality food or music or just one of our customer service people speaking to a client, not necessarily about food, but lending a listening ear to a lonely soul. There are so many ways we can serve our fellow humans and Uncle’s Ark is just one act of kindness we can offer.