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The small-town success story is changing. Distance matters less. The fire burns brighter. Indians are realising that regional quirks are actually an advantage. See how an artist, an actor, a designer, a musician and a hockey champ celebrate their roots

- Urvee Modwel

Over and over, we've heard that it doesn't matter where you come from; that a small town or a big city doesn't define your success. Yet, city folks tend to be much more visible as they climb ahead. They're more likely to know someone who knows someone. They're all up with the trendy ideas of the moment.

Those from small towns, on the other hand, say their determination is free of urban burdens. That growing up away from the buzz means there are fewer side-quests, fewer distractions on the way up. Crucially, they bring with them a voice that's entirely their own. As our big cites grow bigger and little towns play catch-up, see how five Indians credit their big successes to their small towns.

Vaishali Shadangule, fashion designer From Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh

In 2021, Shadangule, 46, became the first Indian woman to showcase at Paris Couture Week, and the first Indian designer to open a store in Paris, selling haute couture and ready-to-wear pieces made from Indian handlooms. With or without connections, it's hard to get here. It was perhaps harder for Shadangule, who fled her home in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh at age 17.

It was 1996. Bhopal came as a shock. "Roads! Crossing the roads, all that noise, even seeing TVs everywhere was a big deal," Shadangule recalls. Restaurants felt new too. "We never went out to eat."

Moving to Mumbai in 1999 was an even bigger shock. "I wasn't aware until then that people eat meat!"

The early years were tough. She'd seen her mother wear old saris at home, saving the new ones for outings. They'd turn torn saris into curd sieves or frocks. "People in small towns treat new clothes like precious things," Shadangule says. "But in Mumbai, people used to make fun of me in my studios, saying I'm stingy. That I don't even throw away fabric scraps. But I knew that every bit represented the effort of a weaver. How could I just throw it away?"