Let’s make some impact

For I’m locked and loaded

In my two years at Georgia Tech, I’ve worked with leaders in Mixed reality, Deep Learning, and Ubiquitous Computing. The depth of their knowledge and keen critical thinking has evolved my perspective towards technology. No longer just a problem solver, I believe systems that support all the stakeholders involved live longer, and have lasting impact. These systems have greatly enhanced my own life. But seeing the effectiveness that my mentors’ systems have allowed them to have in the world, I’m ready to blaze forward and build technologies that improve people’s lives!

Mixed reality is going to change us

And in a good way, I think

I’ve realized after leading the VR team at Housing, one of my favourite places to work at. We made the first commercially scalable real estate VR product in India, all the while playing pranks, eating Mumbai’s famous chaat, and sticking together through the tough times. All in all, I’ve figured out my work ethic, made friends for life, and gained crucial experience with mixed reality.

It wasn’t all fun and games

But we brought it back to life

Housing started off as the perfect research base: Young management, the freedom to experiment, and a strong peer group to discuss your crazy ideas with. But the gods grow jealous of too much contentment anywhere, and the company fell into disarray after the management had a tiff with the investors. The management was overhauled, and a new CEO came in, planning to shut down the VR division. I had to fight to retain my work efforts and the team. Armed with a presentation and case studies, I emerged victorious from the conference room, a smile on my face.

I love freedom

And tea parties down rabbit holes

I’ve found that I work best when I have the freedom to decide the nuances of whatever task it is that I’m doing. It is what attracted me to Housing, and it is what kept me going through college: The freedom to explore whatever’s down the rabbithole, waiting on the other side. Of course, as often happens in these stories, I was pushed along the way by a wise old man.

Professor Gandalf

Or so I like to remember him

I met him in his lair, on the second floor of the computer center. Buried under a mound of research papers, his eyes scanned through me as I hesitantly asked him to be my research mentor. “You shall not pass!”, he proclaimed and went back to his paper. Two more visits of pleading and a recommendation from a TA led to him finally taking me in. His academic insights were helpful, leading up to significant research and a published paper, but it was his perspective on philosophy that was truly humbling. He prescribed a strict regimen of math and philosophy, tutoring me on subjects common and arcane. My time with him taught me how to be a better human, and to look up to the future without plain cynicism.

I believe in the future

And in its technology

I’ve got my AR goggles on, my AI speaking in my ear, while I’m waiting in my electric self-driving car for the Hyperloop train to arrive with a ticket bought using cryptocurrency. I believe that technology is inherently neutral, and in moderation, new developments help us live a fuller life. Mixed reality provides the canvas through which these new technologies can help paint a beautiful tomorrow, and I want to help guide the creation of this canvas.