When I was eight years old, I was very curious. I remember when I used to open my toy car just to see how it made a buzzing sound — and of course, it never worked again after that! But I didn’t mind. I loved to know how things work and always ask why this happens behind any concept like uncovering the mysteries. My parents, teachers and once even the doctor get surprised on my logics but my friends would laugh when I called my messy desk my ‘boht kam ki jaggah ha ye (the place for work),’ but deep down, I knew I wanted to be someone big and successful one day.

As I grew older, my thoughts became wide towards my future. I was from a family background with a job mindset but my father encouraged me to be a business woman and constantly share ideas related to new innovation and entrepreneurship. My mother played a major in shaping my foundation, core values, self motivation and strong academic performance, while motivating me to participate in extra co-curricular activities which is equally important. Gradually, I started analyzing new business ideas (like I did in Junior CEO Challenges 2025) and felt fascinated by the inspiring stories of successful entrepreneurs and business men.

In my university and college life, I joined an entrepreneurship and innovation club and discovered that despite having a stammer, my voice is like a leader and confident speaker. That’s how my first startup, “Recycled stationary” was launched in which I used discarded materials to create eco-friendly stationary and later added my colleagues who were interested. We attended so many meetings, presentations and late-night sessions but we were believing in ourselves and worked as a team

As we move further on, our products in "Recycled Stationary" started receiving comments like " too small-scale" as if they meant nothing although we worked around day and night polishing samples, printing labels, pitching the concept to a local youth competition and I even sometimes missed family gatherings Every rejection felt like a demotivation that the world was moving fast and I was being left behind. A mentor’s encouraging email, a teammate who stayed late to help, or my mother’s simple note: “If it matters to you, keep going” motivated me but there were also discouraging remarks from my friends and relative, exclaiming, "tum se na ho payega ye (you can't do this)." Those years taught me the true meaning of resilience. The storms didn’t end overnight, but they shaped me into a more thoughtful leader, a more careful planner, and a braver speaker

Just when I was beginning to question whether I truly belonged in the business world, an unexpected invitation changed everything. My mentor from the youth competition — the one who had first emailed me those encouraging words — invited me to attend an Innovation & Entrepreneurship Fellowship at a local startup incubator. There, I met people who thought like me — curious, restless dreamers who wanted to solve everyday problems, not just build apps or chase funding. My mentor noticed the spark in my eyes that day and said, “Maybe your next idea isn’t far — it’s just waiting to be seen differently.” That conversation became my pivot point — the bridge between failure and a new beginning. It taught me that success often hides in familiar places, waiting for us to look with a new perspective.

A few months later, I began testing an idea. My uncle ran a small corner shop that always struggled with keeping track of inventory and wastage. With my mentor’s guidance and a few friends from the incubator, we built a simple digital system that used basic AI to predict which products sold fastest and when to restock them.

We called it “SmartKart.” It started as a weekend experiment in my uncle’s store — but soon, neighboring shopkeepers began asking for the same system. I found myself spending evenings coding, training staff, and collecting feedback. The first time the store’s profits rose, I felt the same excitement I once felt as a child fixing toy parts — only now, the gadgets had become real impact.

SmartKart grew from one small shop to a network of hundreds across cities, helping local businesses become smarter and more sustainable. I also launched the “InnovateHer Initiative”, a global mentorship program for young women passionate about entrepreneurship and AI. I aim to help them see what my father once saw in me through workshops, digital boot camps, and storytelling. I remember, " rue success is when your story inspires someone else to begin theirs.” If my story has taught me anything, it’s that success isn’t a destination; it’s a cycle — you rise, you learn, and then you lift others.