India, July 30 -- Every inch of the street stall is filled with pendants, prayer beads, and amulets. The cramped lane leads to one of Delhi's busiest shrines. This rainy afternoon, the friendly young man at the stall often looks up as people pass, meeting their eyes with a slight nod and, occasionally, a quiet "hello."

Meraj, 22, has been helping his father run the stall while hunting for a job. Among all his brothers and sisters, he is the first to graduate from college. His father never went to school. His mother studied until Class 8. Earlier this year, he completed a Bachelor of Computer Applications course from Ambala's Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University).

Getting there was not straightforward. Meraj finished school d...