Pawan Rawat: From struggle to entrepreneurial success

Pawan Rawat fought financial woes to pursue ITI and then founded a tour and travel business. Narendra Sethi brings out this inspiring tale of resilience
Pawan Rawat: From struggle to entrepreneurial success
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UTTARAKHAND: Pawan Rawat, hailing from a remote corner of Uttarakhand, is the epitome of a rare blend of resilience and adaptability. The 29-year-old Pawan owns a fleet of taxis and runs a tour and travel business in Srinagar city of Pauri Garhwal district.

However, it hasn’t always been like this. “I didn’t have any grand dreams,” says Pawan, who was born in a family of farmers in Diyarkot village in Chamoli district. Having to share resources in a family of six memebers, the constraints were unlimited. However, his aspiration for a better life wasn’t bound by the thatched roof of his house.

“Around 2009-10, when I was in the 9th grade, a new chapter in my life began,” he shares.

“During school holidays, I would bring milk to the Karnprayag market on foot from my village, which was about 9 kilometres away. I delivered milk to two or three shops and then returned home,” he says with a sense of nostalgia.

“At that time, I saved 30 to 40 rupees in fare each day. Those few rupees held significant value for us. My elder sister was already married, and my father often struggled to make ends meet,” he shares without hesitation.

Despite discontinuing studies after the 12th grade in 2013, Pawan knew the importance of formal education and decided to take up a course after a gap of two years. He recounted, “People suggested that pursuing an ITI would be a good option. But then came the dilemma. ‘If I enrolled in ITI, how would I manage the rent and expenses for food?’”

With resolve, he stepped forward and filled out the ITI application form and secured the 63rd rank across Uttarakhand. “I was selected in ITI, Srinagar,” he says joyfully.

Pawan hitchhiked his way to Srinagar. “I arrived in a truck after taking a lift,” he recounts. Once there, he enquired about the accommodation.

One generous hotelier offered him a lifeline: “You can work at our hotel, and we’ll take care of your meals and accommodation, and you can attend your ITI classes during the day.”

Pawan worked at the hotel for over two years from 2015. However, within three months, he felt he needed to work more to pay his educational fee and family back home.

“One of my friends told me that delivering newspapers in the morning could earn me up to Rs 1500 a month,” Pawan reveals. Moreover, an ITI teacher informed him of another opportunity: “Someone needed home tuition for their two children, which would fetch me Rs 700.”

“After this, the true journey of my life began,” Pawan’s voice fills with resolve. “The number of students for home tuition kept increasing. In the mornings, I started delivering newspapers.” His eyes sparkled as he continued, “My elder brother was working in Karnaprayag for a monthly salary of Rs 1500. I called him to Srinagar and got him involved in the newspaper delivery.”

He proudly shares, “After a year, I brought my younger brother too.”

During the day, the brothers took on part-time jobs. “Once we managed to save a little money, our priority was to pay off the family debts,” Pawan recounted.

Pawan then came up with an idea to buy an Alto car, which would eventually become the first step towards setting up his now flourishing travel business.

“However, every finance company turned us down when it came to financing the vehicle in my name,” he reminisces, recalling the challenges at every turn.

“Finally, I found a friend who came forward to help me.”

In the winter of 2017, after perfecting driving skills, he and his brothers took a bold step. “We informed all our newspaper clients, saying, ‘Whenever you need a ride, just let us know,’” Pawan says. With this in mind, they began transporting residents around town. On numerous occasions, they would even drop people off in Dehradun. For these services, customers would pay anything between Rs 500 and Rs 1000.

“After 2017, we consistently bought vehicles. It’s the result of our dedicated effort that today we have added eight passenger cars to our fleet,” he said while thanking God for the prosperity.

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