SRINAGAR, JULY 24: In the tranquil village of Drang, nestled among watchful mountains, a young boy’s life was suddenly upended. Ishfaq Ahmad Wani, then barely in his teens, faced a devastating blow when his father—the family’s sole bread earner—passed away unexpectedly. His death brought more than just grief; it shattered the stability of their home, leaving behind fear, uncertainty, and questions with no answers.
In their small one-story house, surrounded by silence and sorrow, Ishfaq was thrust into adulthood. There was no time to grieve. Responsibility fell on him swiftly. “How will I take care of them? What do I do now?” he remembers wondering. In a village with limited roads, electricity, healthcare, and higher education, his options were painfully few. Armed with only a diploma in Computer Applications and certification as a Village Level Entrepreneur (CSC VLE), Ishfaq had no guide—only a burning need to survive. He took on whatever work he could find, including exhausting manual labor, just to put food on the table. But it wasn’t enough. “I had to take care of my mother and two younger sisters,” he says. “I wanted to give them a better life. I had to do something more.
That desire pushed him to set up a small Common Service Centre (CSC) in a rented shop. With minimal resources and obsolete equipment, he offered basic services. It was a small beginning—but a beginning nonetheless. His turning point came when he saw an advertisement for CHINAR International’s Small Business Support (SBS) program on Facebook. “That one ad changed everything,” Ishfaq recalls. After a rigorous selection process, he was accepted.At the CHINAR office, his passion was evident. He wasn’t just building a life for himself—he had a vision for his entire village. CHINAR equipped him with a laptop, printers, stationery, and mobile accessories. These tools allowed him to transform his CSC into a vibrant community hub, offering access to government schemes, banking, health services, and education.
Still, Ishfaq aimed higher. His business instincts helped him grow beyond survival. As income improved, so did his family’s life and the village’s atmosphere. “I started in a rented shop. Now, I own eight. I could expand further, but my focus is on growth,” he says. He opened a Kiryana shop to bring daily essentials closer to villagers and created jobs—one for the CSC, another for the grocery store. He partnered with HDFC Bank to launch a mobile ATM, sparing villagers long trips just to withdraw money. Thanks to CHINAR’s support, Ishfaq’s enterprise flourished. His CSC became a hub of opportunity and change. Now 27, he dreams bigger: expanding digital services, improving his shop, and launching a café and restaurant for tourists visiting nearby Tosa Maidan.
His message to young entrepreneurs is simple: “Don’t be afraid to take risks. Share your ideas. Someone will help you. For me, it was CHINAR.” From a boy burdened by loss to a thriving entrepreneur with sales exceeding Rs. 15–20 lakhs annually, Ishfaq’s journey is a powerful story of resilience, vision, and community empowerment.