A young Sunil Raina, fresh out of college, was divided between two choices in his life when the situation fell apart in the Kashmir valley. On one hand, he wished to pursue activism full-time as a member of the 'Panun Kashmir' organization, and on the other hand, burgeoning responsibilities asked of him to find a firm footing in his life, which was ruptured by the forced displacement perpetrated by Islamic extremists in the valley.

Hailing from a remote village in Kashmir, Sunil Raina stepped into the precarious life that awaited him. He joined the corporate world after finishing his MBA from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Today, he leads LAVA Mobiles as the President & Business Head, which is the only indigenous mobile manufacturing company in the country today.

Their discussion touches upon the geo-political economy of the mobile phone industry, where Sunil theorizes the term - "Economic colonization," highlighting the importance of R&D and need for self-reliance in the Telecom industry to accelerate the Indian economy.

This interview explores the journey of a Kashmiri Pandit, who started from scratch to build a successful life far away from his homeland.

You’re listening to ‘Sonth,’ a Kashmiri-Hindustani bilingual podcast on hot-button historical, political, and socio-economic issues of Jammu and Kashmir, hosted by Editor-in-Chief Aarti Tikoo.