When I enter a room with Dutch colleagues, they immediately switch to English

I was born in Kota in the north-western state of Rajasthan, the only region in India where you find desert and camels. In my youth I was already fascinated by physics and electronics so I chose to do a bachelor’s degree in engineering, electronics and communication. Afterwards, I started working in Mumbai, which was as much of a culture shock as my later move to Paris. Living in a very small country, Dutch people often find it hard to grasp that India is as diverse as Europe. Not just when it comes to languages, but also from a cultural perspective.

I had previously considered following a master’s course to gain more in-depth knowledge of embedded systems and, after a year working in Mumbai, I was sure this was the right step to take. Having friends already living in Paris and on finding an interesting course at the École Centrale d’Électronique, I applied for a scholarship, took a bank loan and left my native country to move to the French capital.