At 25, Zaid Khan is already running a business worth an estimated Rs 5 crore while pursuing his MBA at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore. The founder of Zedital Media Private Limited, a branding and media company, Khan recently shared his entrepreneurial story on The Crore Club podcast, hosted by Shreya Hegde.
His classmates at IIM Bangalore are preparing for annual job packages of Rs 25 to 40 lakh. Khan, by contrast, already leads a company offering Online Reputation Management, Content Distribution Management, and LinkedIn Profile Amplification Management services.
For students hoping to launch their own ventures, Khan offered two clear pieces of advice. The first is to start selling something, no matter how small. “Start selling something, whether it is a skill, a piece of advice, or any service, even if it is just for Rs 100 or Rs 200. It helps build confidence,” he said. The second is to build a strong online presence. “Content is the digital currency. Build your online presence because that is what creates opportunities,” he added.
Khan grew up in a middle-class family where conventional careers were strongly encouraged. “Everyone told me to become a doctor. The second option was engineering,” he recalled. During Class 12, he faced pressure to prepare for the NEET medical entrance examination. He chose a different path instead.
He began working with YouTube creators and took up freelance projects. A turning point came when he secured a freelancing assignment with a California-based influencer, earning Rs 1.24 lakh, his largest payment at the time. That experience convinced him a career outside traditional professions was possible.
Khan later completed a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Journalism at Graphic Era Hill University between 2019 and 2022 before joining IIM Bangalore’s Business Administration programme in September 2024.
His recognitions include Youngest Entrepreneur of Uttarakhand, Innovative Entrepreneur 2024, and Trailblazer in Digital Marketing Solutions.
His journey demonstrates that starting early, gaining real-world experience, and consistently building a digital identity can open professional doors well before graduation.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News /Home> Features> Pride of the Nation>Markers of Excellence/ by Radiance News Bureau / July 29th,2026
Raizada Village (Ajnala Tehsil, Amritsar District), PUNJAB :
Shahi Imam of Punjab Maulana Usman Rehmani Ludhianvi taking charge of the mosque in village Raizada of Amritsar, Punjab
The Sikhs and Hindus of a village in the Amritsar district of Punjab have handed over a mosque which lay in a run-down state since no Muslims lived there after the partition of India in 1947, to the Muslims for restoration.
In a ceremony attended by Shahi Imam of Punjab, Maulana Muhammad Usman Ludhianvi, in the small village of Raizada in Ajnala tehsil of Amritsar, locals formally handed over the mosque to the Muslim community.
The initiative was led by the village sarpanch, Sardar Omkar Singh. Closed since the partition of 1947, the mosque, for the first time on Friday, echoed with the sounds of the Azaan, the call for prayers.
Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Dalits all stood together inside the mosque located on the banks of the River Ravi.
The mosque is in a dilapidated condition, wild grass and vegetation covered it; its walls collapsed. A school running inside it was closed 11 years ago.
Yet the non-Muslims of the village believed the mosque was not just a Muslim heritage, but that of the village. One of them remarked, “In Punjab, we are connected not by religion, but by heart.”
Shahi Imam of Punjab Maulana Muhammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi with villagers of Raizada
In his address, Maulana Muhammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi narrated the history of harmony in Punjab. He said Guru Nanak Dev, whom Muslims remember as “Baba Nanak”, was carried to a safe place by Muslim brothers Nabi Khan and Ghani Khan in his palanquin during the war.
He also mentioned Diwan Todarmal, a minister in Akbar’s Court, who dedicated his land for the burial of the Guru’s sons.
The Shahi Imam said that this is the real strength of Punjab, Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims have stood together for centuries. The greatest beauty of India is its “unity in individuation”.
He announced that the restoration of the village mosque was being done as a tribute to two Muslim volunteers who sacrificed their lives during relief work in the recent floods.
These youths were Shamshad Bhagwanpuri (Uttarakhand) and Zakaria Mewati (Rajasthan). Both of them distributed ration and medicines in the affected areas for a week, but met with an accident on their return journey. Shahi Imam said that they did not just deliver goods, but also conveyed a message of love and brotherhood. Punjab will never forget their sacrifice.
The mosque will be named ‘Masjid-e-Shamshad Bhagwan Puri’ to honour the sacrifice of the flood relief volunteers in the name of humanity.
پنجاب میں تقسیم ملک کے بعد ویران پڑی ایک اور مسجد سکھوں نے مسلمانوں کو سونپ دی، پنجاب کے شاہی امام مولانا محمد عثمان لدھیانوی نے سب کا شکریہ ادا کیا ،اس کو ملک کی گنگا جمنی تہذیب کا نمونہ قرار دیا ہے In Punjab,a abandoned Mosque handed over to Muslims by the Sikhs#Mosquepic.twitter.com/Lq4Ii8tR7t
He said while the foundation of the mosque will be laid this month, the story of Shamshad’s life and service will be engraved on the wall of the mosque.
The second mosque, “Masjid-e-Zakaria” will be built in Fagan Majra village of Mewati-Patiala district, the land for which was acquired this week. The parents of these two martyrs have been invited to lay the foundation. The Shahi Imam prayed that for love to spread throughout the country.
The incident comes amid a wider humanitarian effort that has been seen during the recent floods. Volunteers from Mewat in Haryana, traditionally allies of Punjab farmers, sent more than 300 truckloads of relief supplies to the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. It reflects agricultural ties that predate the separation of Haryana and Punjab in 1966. Organisations like Khalsa Aid have been on the ground since August, rescuing families and providing water and medical aid in affected areas like Gurdaspur and Ferozepur.
The event took place in a backdrop of peaceful harmony. As the sounds of Gurbani recitation echoed from the gurdwara during evening prayers, the call to prayer for Maghrib was soon heard from the mosque, symbolizing the harmonious heartbeat of Punjab. The villagers distributed sweets to celebrate. As the sun was setting over the Ravi River, the Shahi Imam concluded the ceremony with a prayer. He said, “May this love spread throughout the country and every corner be illuminated like a lamp of brotherhood.”
According to media reports, more than 30 such mosques have been restored so far through interfaith cooperation, with most of them led by Sikhs in providing financial support, labour, and land.
According to Shahbaz Ahmed Zahoor, leader of the Idara Mosques, there have been about 200 such incidents across the state in which Sikh families have donated land for mosques and graveyards.
In 2018, in village Moom, Baranala district, while Hindus provided the land, the Sikhs raised funds for the construction of a mosque that shares a wall with their gurdwara.
This created a rare combination of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh places of worship in one place. In 2022, in the Bakhatgarh district, Barnala, farmer Amandeep Singh donated 250 square yards of land for the Noorani Masjid. Other Sikhs and Hindus shouldered a major part of the construction cost of Rs 12 lakh so that 15 Muslim families would not have to travel 5 km to offer prayers.
In January of the same year, former Sarpanch Sukhjinder Singh Noni and his brother Avininder Singh donated 5.5 biswas (worth Rs 7-8 lakh) of valuable roadside land for a new mosque in Umarpura village of Malirkotla district. They were joined by donors like Tejwant Singh (Rs 2 lakh) and Ravinder Singh Grewal (Rs 1 lakh).
In Malla village of Ludhiana district, in 2016, Sikhs and Hindus renovated the old mosque for the only Muslim family in the village and provided financial assistance while locals worked as labour for its construction.
In Nathuwal village of Sangrur district, in 2015, non-Muslims bore more than 65% of the Rs 25 lakh cost for the renovation of the Jama Masjid and the addition of a second floor.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Mansooruddin Faridi, New Delhi / October 27th, 2025
Author Nuzhat Khan weaves a story of love and loss against the backdrop of Uttarakhand’s forest fire catastrophe in her latest novel.
Author Nuzhat Khan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Author Nuzhat Khan is among the growing tribe of writers confronting the world’s most pressing issue — climate emergency and the unfolding weather catastrophe — through a genre of fiction set in natural ecosystems. In her latest novel Whistling Woods (Petals Publishers), she highlights the impact of forest fire on people’s livelihood in Uttarakhand along with the story of two strangers — Akshay and Kaveri — who embark on a journey of self-discovery to the hills.
Nuzhat says the book is her way of doing her bit for Nature and the environment. “Growing up in Almora hill station amidst the snow-capped Himalayan ranges of Uttarakhand, I was blown away by the stunning landscape. This is the case with anyone who belongs to the hills. It pained me to watch forest fires ravage the serene hills.” She decided to act by writing a light-hearted story around the issue to reach out to more people. “I thought presenting plain facts and figures would be drab on topics like, what’s fuelling forest fires that continue to scorch hectares of green cover? I have tried to propose a solution, although it may not be the perfect one,” she says.
Her style of storytelling, both evocative and driven by research, helps readers get a grip of the issue while enjoying the budding romance between the lead characters. “I have attempted to capture a mix of human emotions, complexity of relationships, and the innocence of love. The setting helped me run parallels between urban and rural lives. For people in villages, even access to clean drinking water can be challenging ” explains Nuzhat adding that the book has been in the making for five years which also involved several trips to institutes like Avani Bio-Energy plant in Pithoragarh, the Naula Foundation, an NGO that creates awareness on the problems of dying aquifiers (naulas) in the hills of Uttarakhand.
“My interactions with the locals and forest department officials was an eye-opener. They are constantly working to mitigate the problem. Organisations like the Himalayan Institute For Environment, Ecology & Development have developed fire reporting apps that can alert people on forest fires across various locations.”
She points out that the ashram described in the book that works towards empowering girl children was inspired by the Lakshmi Ashram run by a couple in Uttarakhand. “Some of the characters are not entirely fictional,” she hints.
The book also touches upon excessive tourism in the hills. “Several unplanned constructions in the form of resorts have come up usurping the forest cover and triggering landslides. The region is also prone to earthquakes.” She wants people to sit up and take note of Uttarakhand. “Everyone wants to live in the hills. I want to tell them it is beautiful, but everyday life can be challenging.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by K Jeshi / December 26th, 2023
This is 01 more than the tally of Muslim MLAs in Uttarakhand in 2017 when 02 Muslims had won amidst the BJP Tsunami.
Uttarakhand Election Result 2022:
The newly elected Assembly in Uttarakhand will have 03 Muslim MLAs, according to the final result announced by the State Election Commission Thursday.
This is 01 more than the tally of Muslim MLAs in Uttarakhand in 2017 when 02 Muslims had won amidst the BJP Tsunami.
The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has retained power in Uttarakhand winning a total of 47 seats – 10 less than its previous tally of 2017.
The opposition Congress has won 19 seats – an improvement of 08 seats as compared to its tally of 11 seats in 2017.
Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has won 02 seats, according to the Uttarakhand Election 2022 Final result.
Among the 03 Muslim candidates who have won the 2022 Uttarakhand election 02 – Shahzad and Sarwat Kareem Ansari, are from BSP and 01 – Furkan Ahmad, is from Congress.
Shahzad of BSP has won the 2022 election from Laksar Assembly seat of Uttarakhand, defeating Sanjay Gupta of BJP by 10,440 votes.
Sarwat Kareem of BSP won the 2022 polls from Manglaur Assembly constituency defeating Qazi Mohammad Nizamuddin of Congress by 598 votes. Qazi Mohammad Mohiuddin had won the Manglaur seat in 2017.
On the other hand, Furkan Ahmad of Congress won the polls from Pirankaliyar assembly seat, defeating Munish Kumar Saini of BJP by 15,743 votes. Furkan Ahmad had won the same seat in the 2017 election.
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home / by Ummid.com News Network / March 11th, 2022
