10/08/2026
"Growing up, I was always told what the ‘right’ path looked like. As the eldest son, there were expectations waiting for me before I had even decided what I wanted for myself. Science, engineering, IIT. It was a good plan. It just wasn’t mine.
So, for the first time, I made a decision that was entirely my own. I chose Arts at Mithibai. Walking into Mithibai, I didn’t know exactly where that decision would take me. But from the very first day, I saw a campus full of possibilities. Seniors walked into our classrooms talking about dance, drama, NSS, and everything that existed beyond academics. That was when I realised college could be more than just lectures and exams.
I dedicated my first year to NSS, and by my second year, I was leading major events. With the constant support of my teachers, Mithibai gave me the freedom to explore, create, and discover what genuinely interested me. I could finish classes in the morning and still find a reason to stay on campus until evening.
Academically too, I found myself drawn towards Psychology and Sociology. Choosing just one major in my third year wasn’t easy because, for the first time, I wasn’t studying something because I was expected to. I was studying because I genuinely wanted to know more.
That curiosity eventually took me beyond Mithibai. After college, I joined Teach For India in Mankhurd. I went there thinking I would help change the lives of the children I taught, but somewhere along the way, they changed mine instead. Being called ‘Rishabh Bhaiya’ meant more to me than any job title ever could. Later, I stepped into corporate life. On paper, I was doing well.
But Mithibai had taught me something far more important than simply following a successful path: it had taught me to question whether that path was actually making me happy. So I walked away once again. I got on my Bullet and travelled across Spiti, Zanskar, and Ladakh.
Today, I live in Bir, working as a writer, photographer, and artist, helping people reconnect with their own creativity.