My Story
Journey of a forever curious kid
3-10 years old
Early days
My curiosity for understanding how things worked sparked early on. As a child, I had a peculiar habit of disassembling every toy I owned. With no cable TV at home, my time was split between cycling outdoors and deconstructing household items.
Everything transformed when I got my hands on a computer at a young age. I was captivated by this machine, spending endless hours exploring its possibilities. Whether replaying trial versions of games repeatedly or manipulating clipart shapes in PowerPoint, the allure of the computer held me in its grip.
10-13 years old
Computers
The real game-changer came with internet access. It felt like stepping into an entirely new world. Endlessly scrolling through the vast expanse of the internet, diving into Reddit's AMAs, gaming online, and tinkering with Windows Movie Maker to craft videos became my new pastimes.
These tools felt like my gateway to endless possibilities—I even created Game Music Videos (GMVs) that still exist on YouTube. They might be amateurish by today's standards, but they evoke a sense of pride when I glance back at them now. (Psst... one of them is attached here for a chuckle! 😄)
14-15 years old
Coding
During my early teens, I got captivated by "The Social Network" and wanted to create my own social platform. I dove into learning web development online and created FunFanFriend, a social network with nifty features like dislike button, realtime chat, multithreaded comments, etc. It got some buzz in newspapers and even landed me an invite to the Global Young Leaders Conference in the US, but financial constraints kept me from going.
Later, I freelanced a bit and juggled it with schoolwork in my 11th grade, spending endless hours in front of the screen, totally absorbed.
16-18 years old
GSF & BLR
In standard 12th, winning GSF HighSchoolGeeks got me a two-month stint at the GSF office in Bengaluru working with their accelerator program, exposing me firsthand to India's startup culture and the role of design in shaping great products. This ignited an intense passion for the field.
After coming back, I immersed myself in YouTube tutorials on design, delving into Photoshop to craft app ideas. While initially challenging, my design sense evolved over time through trial and error. Engaging in design contests on freelancer.com honed my skills and also gave me a chance to work with more 30+ clients from all around the world.
19-21 years old
Engineering
During engineering, I delved into extracurriculars, particularly the entrepreneurship cell, and helped organise significant events that attracted over 25k+ attendees.
During one such event, Internship camp, I secured a summer internship in Bhubaneswar. After two months they invited us to their project in Cambodia. It was my third year in college, and who wouldn't love a free international trip? During my time there, I learnt node.js & electron.js to build a local data entry client from scratch. This client is now used by over 60 professionals, storing over 100k entries daily from 16 online stores.
22-27 years old
Gojek
In the final year of college, I curated my portfolio and started applying to design focused companies. Finally securing a role GoJek, which was serendipitously located just adjacent to the GSF office I used to go during the high school internship. Life is weird.
I joined GoJek as a design intern for 6 months and later transitioned into a full-time role. Five years there felt like a treasure hunt of learning. I learnt all sides of design, from interaction, motion, product, ally, etc. I shaped features for millions of users, soaking in lessons in scale, teamwork, and culture. Each day there was an adventure I used to look forward to.
What’s next?
lets write this chapter together. I’m open to new work opportunities. Reach out to me on Email or LinkedIn