Dreams beyond Distance

I hail from Jamui, a small, serene town in Bihar where life is simple and quiet. Growing up there, I wasn’t just an average kid—I loved learning new things, but I was super confused about what I wanted to do with my life. Coming from a humble background, my family has always believed that education is the greatest gift they could give us, and they made countless sacrifices to ensure we had access of high-caliber education. So for me, getting a quality education has always been a top priority. What truly sparked my curiosity was coding; it fascinated me and gave me a reason to keep going. That's why I ended up choosing an engineering college in Howrah, West Bengal, not too far from home. Bihar doesn’t have many good engineering colleges, and I heard that West Bengal’s were better, cheaper, with decent placements. Plus, it’s close enough that I wouldn’t waste days travelling.

When I got to West Bengal, I was amazed by the culture. People here hold tight to their traditions. Bengalis celebrate each festival with great enthusiasm. I also saw how women seem stronger here, with more freedom than back in Bihar. Bengal exhibits less gender discrimination than Bihar due to its progressive cultural values and higher female literacy rates. That's why it's a bit more comfortable to live here in Bengal, and our college actively promotes gender equality .

The college provides excellent mentorship and a wide range of courses, creating a tough environment that pushes you to strive harder. But it's not only what I pictured for. I hoped for a big, green campus and cheap living but reality hit me hard when most of the things were just the opposite to my expectations. Meals here are expensive, super low quality, and they still charge us double. They charge us for internet connection, gym and more, even if we’re away for months. Being from Bihar makes things more challenging. Some Bengali students poke fun at me, and the professors stick to Bengali or English. I struggled to understand the concepts taught in Bengali due to a language barrier. The air quality is too poor, making it difficult to breath. But even with all this, I’m growing. Back in school, I hadn’t been able to get much exposure, I was curious but lost . Here, everyone's striving to improve, and that's stirring something within me. I’m more confident now, not so unsure. Exploring new hobbies like travelling, learning a language or playing Cricket. I'm learning something new everyday. My goal is to become a better person every morning. This place, with all its chaos, has made me tougher and kinder too. I have developed the ability to adapt myself in any condition. I’m proud of who I’m turning into.

I’m lucky I get to share this on Humanity@2047. It’s a privilege to share my story here and maybe encourage someone else to keep moving forward.

Related Stories