How do you remember your time at BITS, and how did the campus culture of that era compare to what it is now?

My time at BITS was good. It was joyful. It was carefree. It was a mixed bag, and everyone had their share of fun and challenges. There must be some new things that have come up since then, but I think the culture remains broadly unchanged. You see the same professors and, the same structure, everything is still student-run, so it’s the same old BITS that hasn’t changed since the 1960s, the essence remains the same.

In your experience, what sets it apart? How do these unique traits help them in their professional growth?

I think the core of the BITSian philosophy is to allow you to do what you like, experiment, and give you flexibility as well as accountability. You’ve got smart people all around you that motivate you in every aspect. A lot of our student societies have been core to BITSian culture, where you get exposure to not just doing but managing things. You learn to multitask, and it eventually becomes a part of your life.

You had many positions of responsibility in your commitments, especially from 2014-15. So how did you manage your academics along with these club commitments?

It’s not something that only happened between 2014 and 2015, it was something happening throughout my college life. I learned to delegate tasks, and I had friends who would fill in for me at some places. Even academics is not something that you always have to do independently, it’s always a group effort. There will be days when you will allocate more time to your academics and times when you’ll spend an entire week preparing for a fest. It’s a very fine balance, and you have to find that balance.

What particular experiences in Pilani have contributed to your personal growth and adaptability, and where you are at today?

There are situations in life that you just have to be prepared for, like dealing with a power outage during an important presentation or forgetting your book in an open-book exam. In such moments, you need an emergency backup plan. At BITS Pilani, having a Plan B is essential. For me, the essence of life at BITS is learning how to balance multiple responsibilities while always having a contingency plan in place. Whether you’re organizing a festival, managing an event, or focusing on academics, you can't move forward without having a Plan B ready to go. That's one of the key lessons BITS teaches you.

As you reflect on your college experience, what standout moments do you cherish the most?

I’ll start with the initial phase, the first set of fests were brilliant times because you’re experiencing all those things for the first time. You're running around and doing all the groundwork for the clubs, departments, and associations you are in. There were other sporadic moments. One memorable moment was when we sat down at the end of Oasis, there was only a one-day break and we submitted a concept for a case competition and we randomly got selected. Also, I think the entire term with the placement unit was thrilling when the entire batch got placed.

What inspired you to start Aarohan, what was your initial vision for conducting this unique exam for high school students? And how is it different from other Olympiads?

Aarohan was the brainchild of a bunch of folks. We sat down in the winter of 2013 and had this idea which we knew could help bring more focus to Apogee, exposing it to a larger audience. At that time, we used to have Olympiads that tested you only for your technical knowledge. Smart people who knew that particular subject would make it through, we didn’t think of it that way.

We wanted to give people the chance to visit the campus, so we had to design an examination that could act as a filter for this. A test that would encourage them to apply their brains. So we had long paragraph-type questions, that would explain a concept, and then the students had to apply it. It was logical reasoning and data interpretation coming together. The concept could be science-based, math’s-based, or logic-based. The core intent was to provide them with the framework and then allow them to think.

What advice would you give to the current team Aarohan?

I think they’re doing fairly well. We made a big start, we’ve been doing it a certain way but we’re always open to innovations. It’s not about looking at what has been done in the past, it’s about doing what you want to do and what you think can make it better. I think that’s how most BITSian programs have evolved.

You recently launched your book Susegad Journeys: A Tale of Friendship and Crafts. What inspired you to write this book?

Susegad Journeys is effectively life in Goa. Susegad is the concept that Goan life revolves around, it means “the slow life”. The slow life journey is where someone who’s a strategy consultant goes back to a friend who’s based out of Goa and ends up exploring crafts, beaches, the sea shores, the

Greenery and everything. Something I’ve learned from my strategy consulting career is that storytelling is an important aspect, and this is my way of connecting to an audience that would read about travel, food, and craft.