People First

'A B.Tech Graduate Who Started A Pani Puri Stall That Now Has 50 Outlets In India | Tapsi Upadhyay'

'Following hours of market research, the young BTech graduate Tapsi Upadhyay zeroed in on pani puri which, according to her, is the most-loved food in the country. This led her to start her own venture called “B.Tech Paani Puri wali’. While it started as a solitary stall, there are now nearly 50 of them across the country - almost all of them run by young women.' Read more

'Champion of right of widows and education, Barack Obama Invited Her To US For Meeting | Sarmi Bai | People First'

'Sarmi Bai is a study in self sufficiency…after all she taught herself to write in sand. She believes deeply in the importance of women’s education, and finished her own Grade 10 much later in life after she couldnt complete it as a child. Sarmi Bai has championed the rights of widows, worked towards vaccine awareness, and her relentless social work even piqued the interest of former POTUS Barack Obama whom she was invited to the US to meet!' Read more

'Once A Journalist And Storyteller, He Now Fullfills his Dream Of Doing Something Different | Dadan VIshwakarma | People First'

'Once a journalist, now running a Poha stall; this is the story of a storyteller! After he was fired, Dadan Vishwakarma looked long and hard for a job, but upon not finding one, he decided to step up and do something totally different. Earning a moniker, Patrakar Poha Wala, today Dadan’s story is known to almost everyone, as he sells Indori poha outside his earlier workplace!' Read more

'Disruptor & Stereotype Shunner, She Was The First Woman Officer In Her Regiment| Lt Col Anila Khatri'

'The first in her family to join the armed forces, the story of Lt. Col Anila Khatri is especially inspiring. She also became the first woman officer in her regiment, that had 650 male officers! A disruptor and stereotype shunner, Lt. Col Khatri has paved the path for so many aspiring female officers just by living her life by her own rules. Her only wish? That she be respected for the uniform she wears, and not be singled out because of her gender.' Read more

'Undeterred In Her Fight For Justice For Her Dead Mother, She Wants To Be A Lawyer | Latika Bansal'

'Latika Bansal was only 15 when she saw her mother being burnt alive by her father. She and her younger sister were the eyewitnesses of this murder and endured a 6-year-long legal battle to bring justice to their mother. Latika Bansal fought tooth and nail, under the prying eyes of hostile relatives, so her father could be punished for the crime he committed. Latika’s childhood was completely taken over by this fight for justice, but that doesn’t deter her from wanting a hopeful future, one where she can be a lawyer too, and help people like her.' Read more

'A War Reporter, With A Whirlwind Life, Meet Tavleen Singh | People First'

'Tavleen Singh is one of India's first woman journalists. She has covered war, conflict, insurgency and politics. Her interview with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale is still remembered She has also been a woman in love, embarking on an affair that would ruffle many-a-feathers. Singh fell in love with a Pakistani politician Salman Taseer while on assignment and became a single unwed mother of their son Aatish Taseer This association was marred by love, cowardice, and, ultimately, an assassination.' Read more

'He Has Seen Happiness And Struggle in Chandni Chowk And Now Exchanges Rare Coins For Current Value'

'Chandni Chowk is truly the living, bustling repository of history and culture. Everyone here has a story- like Ram Tiwari. He has been working in this area since 58 years, his profession? To take old coins from the Mughal and British era in exchange for its present value! His life in Chandni Chowk has seen him from being a young man, to being married, to losing his wife, and today someone who has stories enough to last a lifetime!' Read more

'She Left An Abusive Husband, Brought Up Five Children, Earns Her Livelihood And Leads A Happy Life | Geeta | People First'

'She started driving an e-rikshaw to be financially independent after she decided to leave her abusive husband. Geeta is a story of self-belief. Today, she stands tall, resilient, and self-sufficient, and believes that all one needs to do in life is to not depend on anyone but your own self. Geeta now takes care of five kids, extremely happy that she can earn her own livelihood.' Read more

'A Man, His 9-Decade Family Legacy, An Uncertain Future | Meet Mohammad Faizaan | People First'

'He sits at the shop that has been standing since 90 years, but he might be the last one to man this shop. Meet Mohammad Faizaan Qureshi – a kalai wala, he who has been in the business of making pital and tamba utensils for as long as he can remember, but today due to the increases demand of steel and aluminium, his business has suffered making him perhaps the last kalai wala…' Read more

'Meet Preeti Yadav, A Girl Born Blind, But With Abundant Dreams & Greater Passion To Achieve Them All'

'Preeti Yadav was born blind, but that never stopped her from doing her exactly what she wanted to do – to become a Sociology Professor. Today, Preeti is studying at Delhi University – coming here to study independently away from her home town in Uttar Pradesh. But aside from Preeti’s obvious superpower of self-sufficiency, there’s another one ready in her arsenal: a mellifluous voice – one that she uses happily as she loves to sing!' Read more

'Meet The Jalebiwala Who Even Made Jalebis For Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee! | People First'

'From selling Jalebi for One Paisa to cooking special jalebis for former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday, Abhishek Jain’s family sweets shop in Chandni Chowk has evolved alongside a changing India. From a bustling Chandni Chowk where actors and politicians visited his shop, to now being in a more structured streamlined renovated Chandni Chowk. Abhishek Jain’s shop is where you get one sweet historical story per one syrupy Jalebi!' Read more