It all started in early 2007 when I decided to learn French from Alliance Francaise de Delhi during the last year of Bachelors in Polymer Science & Technology from the University of Delhi. Frequent visits afterwards to Alliance francaise de Delhi and the French cultural center exposed me to not only the opportunities of higher education in France but also to French artistic and cultural attractions. I was then selected for an International Erasmus Mundus Program in Material Science with one of the best student scholarships in the world!

Right from the beginning of my Masters at Grenoble-INP, I got a sense of the high quality as well as creative approach of the French higher education system. I soon realized that knowing the French language is very important to have a fruitful stay in France. I learnt the language with the help of some courses but mostly from my French friends, thanks to regular conversations with them in French. Furthermore, I loved the fact that staying in France not only gave me the opportunity to learn about French people and their culture but also about the people from all over the world as France has a great number of international students.

Studying in France could also very well be considered as a passport to further study or work in the rest of the world. But I so fell in love with my life in France that I continued to live there for the next 10 years! In those 10 years, I finished my PhD in Material Science, worked in different cities, met great people, had my daughter and above all had many enlightening experiences which are for sure to stay with me for life. Last year, I got a very interesting opportunity to work as a scientist in Research & Innovation Center of Solvay (A Franco-Belgian Company) in India and to act as a bridge for the collaborative projects with its centers in Lyon and in Paris. Thus, to get best of both worlds i.e. stay closer to my family along with keeping my French connection, I accepted the offer and moved back to India. Since then, I have been working on global R&D projects and travel regularly to Europe for business reasons.