I’d like to talk about my friend, Sriram Venkatesh. We’re good friends. I remember the first day I met him. All pale, emotionless with hopes in eyes and dad by his side with shoulders armed. His dad, all dressed up in white creamy dhoti and inspecting the premises. Sri was standing up there with a tailored shirt, formal pants & sandals. He always had this minimalist go-to outfit. That’s how our first meet was like. Now he’s all open and we discuss things pretty well. He once sat me down and told the story about LPU and the place he comes from. This is the story of Sriram, dear readers.
Sriram Venkatesh has been living in Shravanabelagola, an underdeveloped village in Karnataka. Dad was a mahout by profession. Used to take up tourists on elephant rides. Earned just enough to put the food on the table. Sri enjoyed rides as well. He attended a nearby government school for his elementary education and tried learning as much he could. Later, he scored 83% marks in his 12th Grade. Dad was so happy, organized a religious event to celebrate this.
After a lot of research for the college, they decided to go with Lovely Professional University. Punjab was a new place for him. First visit to North India. He told me how galvanized he was when he first entered LPU.
“I was shocked by the mammoth size of the University. Coming from my village to this place was a complete dream-like experience for me!”
“The beauty of LPU was mesmerizing”, he said. Told me how great his hostel and roommates were. The mess had clean and hygienic food. Was very excited about the classes to begin. The teachers were really good. He loved to ask doubts after class and enjoyed the overall aura of the classroom.
Sri arrived in the year 2016, with the discipline as Computer Science and Engineering. He is an active participant in the hackathons organized every month by the college and various other clubs run by students inside the university.
His favorite club is Club ECHO. Never misses even a single meeting of the club. They talk about public speaking, organize debates and Group Discussions. That’s a pretty decent University experience, he said. Happy about, how things turn out.
He got the chance to perform on stage with the superstar Varun Dhawan. Celebs are common here in each event. Did not have any of this from the place he comes from. LPU gave the wings and launchpad to fire up the dreams to achieve things he always wished for. The place where your only limit is, you, yourself.
The LPU Startup School helped him to get an investment for his startup. Now he’s working on his own for various other clients throughout the Delhi NCR region. Things are good now. His dad worries no more. Proud of his son and the decision he took to shape the future from LPU.
That was Sriram and his journey from Shravanabelagola to LPU. An amazing one! All the best Sri. Happy to share your story!
