Srinagar, May 1 -- Zaheen Ashai, just 16, skipped the traditional classroom after sanctions shut down his school. He wasn't enrolled in any coaching center. He didn't sit in classrooms or attend revision marathons. For the past five years, he studied alone: without walls, without teachers, without the structure most students are told they need. And yet, when the Class 10 results were announced, he passed with a shining grade.

But the numbers on his marksheet tell only a fraction of his story.

While many of his peers were solving sample papers, Zaheen was building his own startup. While others revised textbooks, he was designing logos, learning code, playing national-level football, and stringing tunes on his guitar. He wasn't aiming for...