College Journey
From a Small Town in Rajasthan to IIT Bombay
A story of sacrifice, friendship, and the beginning that changed everything.
I come from Kumher, a small town in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.
My childhood was far removed from the world I would eventually enter.
The infrastructure around us was very limited. Even something as basic as a proper water facility was not always available. Life was simple, and at times, difficult. We did not have many of the comforts or opportunities that children in bigger cities often grew up with.
But my parents gave me something far more valuable than material comforts.
They gave me a belief.
They kept telling me that good education could change my life.
My father was working as a school librarian then. He is now retired. We were not a wealthy family, but my parents never made me feel that my circumstances should limit my dreams.
From a very young age, I wanted to do something meaningful with my life.
Dreams Begin Before We Know Where They Will Take Us
My childhood was also influenced by something quite unexpected — movies.
Movies opened windows to a world much larger than the one I could see around me. They introduced me to different people, different lives, different possibilities and different dreams.
Perhaps without realising it, they taught me something important:
Life can be bigger than the circumstances you are born into.
I studied hard. I worked extremely hard. I did well in my board examinations and achieved a very good percentage.
And then came a suggestion that would change the course of my life.
The Journey to Kota
Someone suggested to my father that he should send me to Kota for JEE coaching.
It sounded like a wonderful opportunity.
But there was a problem.
The coaching fee was very high for our family.
My parents nevertheless decided to take the chance.
They managed the money by keeping their jewellery with a goldsmith.
I don't think I fully understood the magnitude of that sacrifice at the time.
Behind every opportunity I received was a family that was willing to sacrifice what little it had so that I could have a better future.
I joined Career Point, Kota.
The next chapter was all about preparation, discipline, hard work and a dream.
I wanted to succeed. I wanted to prove that the opportunity my parents had given me was worth their sacrifice.
And eventually, I cracked the JEE.
IIT Bombay — The Beginning of a New World
Then came the moment I had dreamed about.
IIT Bombay.
Coming from a small town in Rajasthan, walking into IIT Bombay felt almost unbelievable.
I still remember the emotions of my parents when I set my first foot inside IIT Bombay.
There was pride in their eyes.
There was emotion.
And there was perhaps also a quiet feeling that the sacrifices they had made had finally brought their son to a place they had once only imagined.
IIT Bombay was magnificent. The campus, the people, the energy, the opportunities — everything felt completely different from the world I had grown up in.
And then there was a simple moment that remains etched in my memory.
A bus came to pick us up.
It sounds like such a small thing.
But for a young boy arriving from a small town, it felt like the beginning of something enormous.
I had arrived at IIT Bombay. And a completely new journey had begun. A journey I know I will cherish until my last breath.
The Dream My Father Had for Me
My father had always wanted me to become an IAS officer.
For him, it was a respected profession, a position from where I could serve society and make a difference.
That was the path he imagined for me.
But IIT Bombay changed the way I looked at my future.
For the first time, I was surrounded by people who were thinking differently, dreaming differently and imagining possibilities far beyond conventional career choices.
I began asking myself:
Do I want to simply follow a path that has already been defined for me? Or do I want to find my own path?
I realised that I wanted to do something different.
I didn't know exactly what that "something different" would eventually become.
But IIT Bombay gave me the confidence to explore.
It taught me that education isn't merely about getting a degree or securing a job.
Education changes the way you see the world — and sometimes, it changes the way you see yourself.
My father had dreamed of an IAS officer. IIT Bombay helped me discover my own dream.
And Then Came the Friends
There was another gift IIT Bombay gave me — one that has stayed with me long after the classrooms and examinations were over.
Friends.
I was fortunate to have a truly wonderful group of friends at IIT Bombay.
We shared classrooms, hostels, meals, laughter, ambitions, successes, failures and countless memories.
We entered IIT Bombay as young students.
We eventually went out into the world and chose very different paths.
Today, many of those friends are doing exceptionally well in their respective fields. Many are carrying important responsibilities, leading organisations and giving their very best towards nation-building.
Whenever I see what they have achieved, I feel immensely proud.
And I feel privileged.
Privileged to have known them.
Privileged to have shared those years with them.
Privileged to call such extraordinary people my friends.
Life took all of us in different directions.
But the memories of those years remain.
And every time I meet an old IIT Bombay friend, it feels as though a part of that young student I once was comes alive again.
Memories from IIT Bombay
The Years That Shaped a Lifetime
More Than a Degree
When I look back at my college journey today, I realise that IIT Bombay gave me much more than an engineering degree.
It gave me confidence.
It gave me perspective.
It gave me lifelong friendships.
It taught me to question, explore and think independently.
And most importantly, it gave a young boy from a small town the courage to believe that his circumstances did not have to define his future.
I entered IIT Bombay with dreams shaped by my childhood.
I left with a mind that wanted to explore possibilities.
I did not know then that the journey would eventually take me through engineering, defence research, DRDO, mathematics teaching, books, cinema and entrepreneurship.
I certainly didn't know that one day I would look back at that young boy and realise just how far the journey had taken him.
But perhaps that is the beauty of life.
We don't always know where the road is taking us when we take the first step. We only need the courage to take it.
From Kumher to IIT Bombay
Your circumstances may decide where you begin. They do not have to decide where you end.
My parents believed education could change my life.
They were right.
Education didn't simply change my circumstances.
It changed the way I thought.
And that, perhaps, was the beginning of everything that came later.
Kumher → Kota → IIT Bombay
And the journey was only beginning.
Next chapter
DRDO Journey