He came to Punjab from Bihar two decades ago as a farm labourer, earning wages by working on someone else’s fish ponds. Today, Nande Sahni owns a fish farming enterprise spread over 15 acres of leased land in Kakrala village in Ropar district. He also runs four fish shops with help of his four sons and earns up to Rs 12 lakh a year.Sahni learnt fish farming as a labourer. He gradually acquired the skills of pond management and marketing, and eventually used that experience to build an enterprise of his own. What began as a migrant’s search for work has become a family-run business that employs 12 persons and supplies fish to markets in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.Sahni came to Punjab from Bihar about 20 years ago in search of a better livelihood. His first job was as a labourer on a fish farm. He learnt the intricacies of fish rearing, feeding, pond management, harvesting and marketing while working for others.Instead of remaining a wage worker, Sahni decided to venture into fish farming himself. In 2005, he started his own operation and gradually expanded it. He now undertakes fish farming on nearly 15 acres of land taken on lease.Over the years, he has diversified the enterprise by combining fish farming with poultry, goat rearing and makhana cultivation. The integrated farming model has given the family multiple sources of income while allowing them to make better use of available resources.Sahni now operates four fish shops in the Ropar area, with his four sons running the outlets and becoming an integral part of the family business. Fish from his farms is sold directly to consumers, while he also supplies markets in Ludhiana and Chandigarh and areas of Himachal Pradesh.Government assistance also helped him strengthen the business. Sahni said that the department of fisheries provided him financial assistance of Rs 30,000 for an ice box and a motorcycle, improving the transportation and handling of fish and helping him expand his market.Sahni now earns an annual profit of around Rs 10–12 lakh from his integrated farming and fish marketing activities. His enterprise has also created direct employment for 12 people.Sahni who arrived in Punjab as a labourer has built a two-storey house and acquired vehicles, including a luxury car, a Bolero pickup and a Mahindra mini truck.For Sahni, the journey has been about more than money. He says the people of Punjab are more adaptable and that he has been happy living and working in the state. After spending nearly two decades here, he says he does not want to return to Bihar.Deputy Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal said Sahni’s journey demonstrated the potential of fish farming as a source of self-employment and income generation, particularly when combined with allied agricultural activities and effective marketing.Sahni’s story is a journey from migration to entrepreneurship. He arrived in Punjab looking for work and began by working on somebody else’s fish farm. Two decades later, he has leased land for his own fish ponds, built a family business, created employment for others and brought his four sons into the enterprise.