Rohit Bahirwani is a Mumbai-born meditation practitioner and finance aspirant who has spent the last decade searching for purpose and community in San Francisco.
“I came here for grad school in 2015 when I was 25 years old... For the first time, I was leaving home... I actually experienced an earthquake on my very first morning. And I thought that was a sign... just life did not ever move me since to someplace else.”
Rohit’s move from Mumbai to Berkeley marked the beginning of a lifelong transformation. What started as a practical move for graduate school turned into a decade-long exploration of identity, purpose, and ambition.
“San Francisco has been a place where I've discovered and rediscovered myself... I took some time off to pursue my passions... Eventually I realized I want to get into finance and eventually run a hedge fund.”
“San Francisco forced me to like, go out more... now I'm back to where I was... rediscover my priorities and align myself to what I've always been.”
In a city built for reinvention, Rohit cycled through roles in consulting, startups, and marketing before reconnecting with an old dream: building something of his own. Along the way, he found that trying to “become someone” often led him right back to who he already was.
“It seemed like wow. And it was kind of very contrasting with how I had grown up in Mumbai, which is bustling with life... But here... true relationships, they aren't as many or don't go beyond the superficial layer.”
“Most of the conversations… revolve around two or three topics... That’s just a reality of the non-tech world outside of the tech bubble in the Bay Area.”