Haryana

After stumbling upon an online ad, two factory workers from Haryana — Salinder Kumar and Rajesh Goswami — enrolled in a pearl farming course that changed their lives. What began as a side hustle soon grew into ‘Jai Shri Pearl Farming’, a Rs 1 crore business with farms across India and customers around the world.

In 2020, Sonia Dahiya used her biotechnology skills to launch a successful mushroom farm. Despite initial scepticism, her venture thrived, empowering rural women through employment.

Raised in rural Haryana, Hemant Pareek witnessed his mother’s struggles as a daily wage labourer. Moved by injustice, he set out to become a civil servant after a contractor mocked him, and with community support, he cleared the UPSC exam on his first attempt.

Shraddha Rangarh, a 20-year-old kickboxing champion from Haryana, overcame financial struggles, gender bias, and no support to rank No. 5 in the world. With multiple gold medals and a self-made career, her story is a reminder that determination is the mother of all sports.

In 2020, assistant professor Sonia Dahiya built a thriving mushroom farming business, ‘Doctor Dahiya Mushroom Farm’. Combining her biotechnology background with a passion for community empowerment, she established a high-tech farm that produces 10 tonnes monthly while empowering rural women with steady incomes and new opportunities.

After leaving the corporate world, Jitender Mann and his wife Sarla built a successful organic moringa farm in Haryana, producing high-quality moringa powder and other products, generating Rs 3.5 lakh per month with growing demand.

Yashpal Singh and Shanta Verma from Haryana joined the influencer world, thanks to their Gen Z granddaughter, Jonita, who helped them gain subscribers and brand deals.

Jagpal Singh Phogat, a teacher from Haryana, turned to beekeeping despite initial family scepticism. Overcoming early setbacks, he has empowered over 500 farmers to adopt beekeeping.

Pradeep Kumar from Petwar village, Hisar, Haryana, created a solution to prevent solar panel theft on farms. His startup, TG Solar Pumps, offers one year of free servicing for the portable devices.

After 11 years at TCS, Jitender Mann returned to his ancestral home in Haryana, where he and his wife, Sarla, began organic farming, focusing on moringa and transforming it into a profitable venture.