Once a security guard, 32-year-old Diganta Das from Assam cannot believe how his life’s trajectory has changed. Today, he is the founder of a flourishing food business, Daily Fresh Food, which produces 1,500 ready-to-eat parottas every day. 

The journey to this point has taken immense hard work, says Diganta who grew up in abject poverty and was forced to work in coal mines right after high school. Things picked up in 2008 when he travelled to Bengaluru in search of better opportunities. It was at an eatery in the city that Diganta learnt the nuances of a food business and the process of parotta making. 

However, the COVID-19 pandemic posed another set of challenges and Diganta had to return to Assam. But this did not deter him. Back in his state, he set up his food venture and employed 10 people too. The team supplies parottas to Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Dibrugarh.

Diganta stands proudly over what he has created. “I struggled a lot to earn money. I cannot believe I’m standing at this point in my life,” he says.