From Blueprints to Belonging – My SRM Chapter

When I left my hometown, Delhi to study in Chennai (nearly 2,200 kilometers away), it felt less like moving cities and more like crossing into a different country: new food, new weather, new sounds everywhere. Everything was different: the language, the culture, even the rhythm of life.
But what seemed challenging at first soon became one of the most enriching experiences of my life.

SRM University brought together students from every corner of India, each carrying a piece of their home’s culture and perspective. That diversity taught me adaptability, how to communicate beyond words, how to find common ground in a place where everything felt new. Meals turned into language lessons; festivals became windows into other worlds. That was the beginning of understanding that connection is an art, not a skill you list on a resume.

The university became more than an academic space; long hours in the workshop were followed by evenings spent at the beach, talking about ideas that had nothing to do with exams. Friendships built over midnight chai breaks taught me that collaboration isn’t about agreeing, it’s about growing through difference.

Chennai eventually stopped feeling “south” and started feeling like home 2.0, a place that stretched my comfort zone and taught me to be at ease in uncertainty. By the time I graduated, I had learned far more than mechanics or code. I had learned how to belong anywhere a lesson that still follows me through every lab, every country and every project I take on.