Kolkata

Kolkata-based Manju Devi Poddar was nudged by her granddaughter, Yashi Chowdhary, to start her own homemade food venture. Today, her tasty bhujia, Nariyal Chakki and Mava ki Parwal mithai is a hit all over the city, with some deliveries reaching Hong Kong and the USA.

Daammee, meaning 'awesome', sources a variety of different products from cottage industries situated in the hills of Darjeeling, Siliguri and Kalimpong and offers them to customers all over India on their online marketplace.

The journey undertaken by four Bengali men on cycles in the pre-independence era is one of adventure, grit and love for travel. Riding all the way from Asansol to Lahore, a well-kept diary, of almost 90 years, details every bit of their journey with pictures.

In 1975, Prabir Das, a ventriloquist from Kolkata bagged his own show on Doordarshan Bengali to showcase his extraordinarily artful talking doll, 'Michael'.

Tanay Jain (15), a class 10 student from Kolkata started Katran Foundation that upcycles waste fabric from textile factories, provides employment to karigars, and donates clothes to underprivileged children.

When a 10-year-old girl left her home in West Bengal to escape her abusive father, little did she know that her innocence would be shredded overnight. Held hostage a couple of hours away from her home, the story of this former sex worker finding love is an inspiration.

Biren Kumar Basak from West Bengal remembers the days when he earned Rs 2.5 to now establishing a Rs 50-crore venture, employing 5,000 artisans. His sarees have won several awards including Padma Shri.

Payal Saha, a former resident of Kolkata, set up Kati Roll Company in New York and London in 2002 and today makes almost $14 million in revenue.

24-year-old Ranodeep Saha from Kolkata runs the Rare Planet, wherein he sells indigenous handicrafts made of terracotta, copper, wood, ceramic, brass, and marble. The company, co-founded by Vijay Kumar, has involved over 10,000 local artisans from all over India.

Lady Abala Bose’s contributions to Indian history also include fighting for the women’s suffrage movement, along with the education of widows.