In a quiet village of Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, farming has taken on a futuristic glow - quite literally. Inside a small shed behind her home, Bharati Boria grows strawberries, basil, lettuce, stevia and even seabuckthorn without soil, using stacked vertical towers lit by pink grow lights.

A few years ago, Bharati had a stable job and a predictable life. But her desire to return to something more meaningful pushed her to take a risk. Leaving her job, she stepped into vertical farming - a soil-less, high-tech method that uses minimal land and water while delivering premium-quality produce.

Today, Bharati earns around Rs 2–2.5 lakh per month, growing high-value crops through precision vertical farming. Her system relies on IoT-controlled technology that carefully manages light, nutrients, humidity and water, making farming efficient even in limited spaces.

But her journey doesn’t stop at personal success. Along with her husband Rajiv, Bharati now designs affordable vertical farming setups and trains local farmers and women’s self-help groups. Their goal is simple - turn small landholdings into profitable, future-ready farms.

Bharati dreams of transforming her village into the Himalayan region’s first high-tech fruit hub. And as rows of strawberries rise vertically in glowing towers, it’s clear she’s not just growing crops - she’s growing hope for the future of Indian farming.