Going the distance: Five celebs who grew up and broke out of small towns

The small-town success story is changing. Distance matters less. See how an artist, an actor, a designer, a musician and a hockey champ celebrate their roots

Over and over, we’ve heard that it doesn’t matter where you come from; that a small town or a big city doesn’t define your success. Yet, city folks tend to be much more visible as they climb ahead. They’re more likely to know someone who knows someone. They’re all up with the trendy ideas of the moment.

What do a musician, an artist, a national hockey player, a designer and an actor have in common? None of them felt the burden of urban pressures and succeeded just fine.

Fashion designer Vaishali Shadangule says that when you come from nothing, you’re not afraid of losing.

The only type of artwork Subodh Gupta had access to in Danapur was calendars.

Musician Taba Chake knows that Arunachal is and always will be his real home.

Actor Roshan Mathew (seen here with co-stars Alia Bhatt and Shefali Shah) says being from a small town shaped the person he is today.

Lalremsiami Zote hails from Kolasib, Mizoram, a place that still remains cut off from the world.