Renowned contractor of Nagaland, Vilelie Khamo was on Tuesday conferred with the 13th Classic Award 2018 in recognition of his philanthropic contributions.
Nagaland Legislative Assembly Speaker, Vikho-o Yhoshu gave away the prestigious award to Khamo during the 24th Classic Club Foundation Day celebration at a local hotel in Kohima on Tuesday.
Vilelie Khamo’s life is true story of grit and determination, as he rose from doing menial jobs during his childhood years to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Khamo was born on February 14 in the year 1960 as the youngest among his fourteen siblings.
He worked as a domestic help at a very young age.
Shuttling between household chores and school, his hopes to continue education ended amid financial constraints and he give up after passing his sixth grade.
At one point of his life, Khamo also worked as a taxi driver, one of his famous passengers being the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi whom he drove to lay down the foundation stone of the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Kohima.
Years later, he emerged as the chief contractor to build that very stadium.
Today Khamo has a standing in the society who has built office buildings of the Directorate of Industries and Commerce, the Commissioner’s Office, and the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Kohima.