Welcoming Guests “Aier’s Enclave”

Aier’s Enclave, the building strategically positioned next to IMC, Dimapur, is not an ordinary guest house by any standard of measurement. Extraordinary things happen there. It is run by Temjenkala Aier and her immediate family.
The building was left empty for 3 years when Temjenkala’s mum suggested to her to start offering guest house facilities there. So in mid 2007, she opened the doors to welcome guests and visitors. Prior to that, she borrowed rupees 20,000/- from her mum to buy television sets for the rooms. No visitor came for the first three months and her employed helper too left for Assam, promising to send a perfect replacement.
The replacement turned out to be God-sent, possessing not only natural skill but also personal qualities for hospitality. From initially being helped by her mum as kitchen cook to her younger brothers as drivers and errand boys, the employed staff grew qualitatively to nine members. They are all committed and trained for top quality service.
From initially having six rooms in the main building, Aier’s Enclave has expanded to another six rooms in the newly constructed building in the compound. The guest house is packed throughout the year, leaving only small breathers in between for the people running it.
As soon as one enters the house, one gets the feeling of a clam, homely welcome. The decor and ambience, the hospitality and aura in the rooms, the cleanliness and concern for hygiene, the food menu that is designed for healthy living and many more services are all executed with great care and concern at Aier’s Enclave.
In the Comment Book, visitors leave behind maximum compliments for the “food” and the “staff.” The food is simple, non-fussy, tasty and universally appealing. A senior member of the education sector from Hyderabad once asked the staff to show him the kind of dal, rice and oil they use and how it’s used in the kitchen. After the initial (and unfounded) scepticism, he was convinced about the purity and authenticity of the cooking method. He happened to be a pure vegetarian and he now books his flight to Dimapur only if he is assured a room at Aier’s Enclave.
John Schlitt, the vocalist of the Christian rock band Petra, went bonkers over the breakfast omelette. On the day of his performance at the DDSC stadium, he consumed four and a half plates of omelette (in total nine eggs). It was mid summer and his body temperature soared, requiring him to seek medical attention. Anyway, the next day he still ordered for the omelette before he left for the airport and assured he’d be back.
The guests from America, Australia and England love the clean and basic food devoid of heavy Indian spices that cause acidity. Yet they are the ones who are more adventurous to experiment with traditional, local food items as compared with fussy domestic guests.
As for the service staff, the most difficult guest they encountered till date was Billy, the bassist from the band Mr. Big. They had come for lunch to Aier’s Enclave just before their show. Due to ego clashes and individual differences with the band members, Billy was in a foul and unapproachable mood. His attitude was downright condescending and discriminating, making the others feel embarrassed and apologetic.
Yet due to the persistent kindness and non-reactive attitude of the staff, Billy surprisingly let his offensive guard down. The staff went the extra mile in being good to him and he was so impressed by the hospitality that he completely changed into a different person. He not only took his plate and put it in the kitchen sink but also gave them his card and approached them for photos.
There was one guest who loved the place so much that he made up an excuse to postpone his ticket, just so that he could blissfully enjoy the stay for one more day!
The lead vocalist of White Lion loved the soft Mao-gate/China border blanket so much that he was determined to buy one and carry home. They put him in an auto to go to Hajipark and he excitedly popped his huge head with fizzy blond hair out of the auto during the ride. He wanted a blanket with the picture of a roaring lion or tiger. Although he never found the blanket, he simply loved the hospitality of the staff.
Temjenkala says that she feels very blessed and very lucky that she has a bunch of wonderful people to work together with. It’s not so much that skill she’s looking for in her employees, but rather the character. They have to be trust worthy, teachable, good-natured and service oriented.
Her workers from Tura, Tripura, Assam and Bihar have some experience in the hotel industry but the local workers, due to less exposure and ignorance, tend to lack a consistent work ethic and are hyper-sensitive about taking orders from people. With few exceptions, local employees hardly persist in this demanding (yet rewarding) area of work.
The staffs make it a point to screen the guests so that rowdy and unpleasant behaviour are down to the minimum. They prefer to avoid guests who merely want to merry-make and have that extra bit of fun due to their own simplicity and callousness. Her visiting guests on the other hand, come with a specific purpose and are from the corporate world, church organisations from overseas, and are also regular foreign tourists and domestic visitors.
Temjenkala herself is amazed by the fact that the guest house is running so well and that there is harmony, good will and success in all their endeavours. Her family does not call the house as Aier’s Enclave, but rather as “Pastor John’s house.”
John Roughton, the American pastor of Spirit of Faith Church was the one who built this house (designed by Architect Mhao) and sold it to Temjenkala’s parents.
 Zhepitoli, the wife of John Roughton explains that she and her husband purchased the land and then laid the foundation. A couple from their church donated money and they constructed the front porch pillars. While still living in a small rented place they miraculously completed the building, and then shifted in.
She says that for two whole years it became a house of prayer when she and another lady prayed every day from 5 to 6 AM. By divine appointment, her family shifted to another place after living in that new house for only three years. They sold it off simply by cost price and with absolutely minimal extras to the Aier family.
Zhepitoli says that Pastor John prayed that in this house people would sense the presence of God and that He would bless and prosper the new occupants. Based on 2 Samuel 6:12, where God blesses the household of Obed-edom and all that belonged to him because of the ark of God, so also Pastor John left behind the same prayers!
It’s no wonder that the Aier family never fails to acknowledge the fact that they are enjoying the blessings of God that Pastor John invoked for them.
From being trained for the corporate world with an MBA from Central Queensland University, Sydney and also in Advertising & Marketing from St. George College, Syndey, how on earth did Temjenkala land up in hospitality?
She maintains that as an MBA student with fixed class hours, the only part-time jobs available in the evenings were in the hospitality and service sectors such as in restaurants, pubs and hospitals. These experiences trained her well, not having the slightest clue that she’d one day switch tracks into hospitality.
At Aier’s Enclave she does multi-tasking, like  taking calls for booking, hospitality, concierge, house-keeping, dish-washing (if necessary) and cooking (making sandwiches only).
Her father lends a hands-on support by dropping in daily to inspect and supervise technical works in the guest house. He is I. Meren Aier, Rtd. Engg-in-Chief. Her mother, Mrs. Bendangla is into floriculture and she provides organic fruits and vegetables for kitchen use.
Temjenkala and I were school-mates in Shillong, that is, in Pine Mount; but we hardly crossed paths due to differences in age and peer-group bonding, and later in our destinations for further studies. And I never imagined that the tom-boy would metamorphose into this perfect hostess with refined etiquettes in speech and manners. I feel happy for her that she’s come to a point of finding her life-path and is moving resolutely in the direction of her calling.
She says with conviction, “When I look back at my life, I think the purpose of my returning home from Australia was to run this place.” And why not, there’s no one who can do it better than her. She’s the right choice at the right place and right time.
Moreover, her family’s venture into hospitality does not stop here. They’ve got additional plans up their sleeves – the ever bright and ever blessed Aier’s household!
(Written by: Susan Waten, HAWA, Dimapur.)