From Small-Town Maharashtra to Tokyo: One Graduate's Journey Through IIT Hyderabad

A 28-year-old software engineer from a small town in Maharashtra has transitioned from a failed plan to study abroad into a career in Tokyo after completing an MTech at IIT Hyderabad.

Early Path

Born in Nanded district, the engineer left home at age 12 to live in hostels for better education opportunities, supported by a father who worked as a school headmaster. After completing schooling in Udgir and Latur, he earned a BTech in Information Technology from the Government College of Engineering, Karad. During his undergraduate studies, he taught himself game development, published a game on the Google Play Store, and started a game development club to help peers.

Industry Experience

He interned at GameEon Studios and CHRP India in Hyderabad, built VR safety training simulations, and worked four-month night shifts as a teaching assistant at Coding Ninjas to help 650 students with Java and data structures. In June 2021, he co-founded Holofuse Technologies LLP in his final year of BTech to build games and apps, though the company is dormant today. Following graduation, he spent nearly three years as an associate backend engineer at PwC in the Software Engineering and Innovation team.

IIT Hyderabad

After plans to study abroad fell through due to personal reasons, he joined the MTech in Techno-Entrepreneurship at IIT Hyderabad in July 2024. The 19-student batch drew people from 11 different states and diverse professional backgrounds. During his time on campus, he served as an assistant manager in the Corporate Reach and Finance team at E-Cell, worked with SPICMACAY to promote Indian classical music, and volunteered with Qurve, the campus LGBTQIA+ club. To manage finances when savings dwindled, he bought discounted iPhones using credit card offers and resold them to dealers in Delhi for a margin. Facing a personal low point, his thesis guide, Dr Nakul Parameswar, offered words of encouragement comparing his career pause to pulling back a slingshot for a bigger leap.

Thesis and Placement

For his thesis, he built Defen.do, a gamified cybersecurity platform where users learn by practising. Prof M V Panduranga Rao of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering subsequently offered him a research internship at IITH's Centre for Cryptography and Cybersecurity to develop it further. Leading a team of four interns, he created a cyber range used by the Centre for Cryptography and Cybersecurity and the Department of CSE at IIT Hyderabad to let students practise and professors grade assignments in seconds. Through campus placements, he secured a position at DENSO Corporation and recently relocated to Tokyo.

Context

IIT Hyderabad offers specialised interdisciplinary programmes like the MTech in Techno-Entrepreneurship to blend technical engineering skills with business and startup fundamentals. Campus placements at premier Indian institutions frequently connect graduates directly with international technology firms and global corporations. Living in hostels from a young age is common for many students from smaller towns in India who migrate to regional educational hubs for higher secondary coaching and engineering entrances.