Woman Shares How Bengaluru Became The Home She Never Expected To Find

Bengaluru may be known for its opportunities, but for many who move there, the city becomes something far more personal. In a heartfelt post on X, Sakshi reflected on her three-year journey, sharing how Bengaluru offered her support during difficult times and reshaped her idea of what it means to feel at home.

Sakshi wrote, "I didn't receive the heartiest welcome I imagined. After all, I didn't arrive here to pursue opportunities. I came here for shelter."

She recalled how, in her hometown, she felt she had to keep pretending to be an "expired version" of herself to make others comfortable. After changing and shedding her old identity, she did not want to carry the same burdens anymore.

"I didn't want to be the perfect daughter anymore. My expectations of myself were haunting my waking moments. I had to run away. Even if it meant building everything from scratch," Sakshi added.

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3 years of calling Bangalore my home <3 I didn't receive the heartiest welcome I imagined. After all, I didn't arrive here to pursue opportunities. I came here for shelter. You see, back in my hometown, I had to keep pretending that I was the expired version of myself to make them feel comfortable. But I had shed my skin. I didn't wish to carry the same burdens as I had done for years. I didn't want to be the perfect daughter anymore. My expectations of myself were haunting my waking moments. I had to run away. Even if it meant building everything from scratch. I chose Bangalore because here I wasn't a nobody. I was someone 'in making'. The only person I could fall back on was myself. As much as it pains me to say that, it was the reality of my life. If I failed, I couldn't go back. There was no home waiting. Everything I was, everything I could be, was on the line. But what I hadn't anticipated was that the city would not only challenge me, but she would quietly rewrite my sense of self with utmost gentleness. She allowed me to fail and thrive, push and slow down, be unafraid of the messes I made, and discover more of myself through the chaos. She gave me more love than I have ever felt deserving of, and I found some of my greatest joys because of her. Those joys are ones I can no longer imagine my future without. But the most remarkable impact of all is that I no longer feel like a lone fighter. I've found that there's an entire village cheering me on. Each one serendipitously found me, and I, them. I wonder what more one can ask of a city. But I surrendered to her ways. Then she conjured a trick that led me not just toward love, but perhaps toward the mightiest force — the feeling of home. I've stood across several oceans and wondered if the vastness of it could lessen the ever-gnawing emptiness I've felt all my life. Then, it occurred to me, I was asking the question. It wasn't emptiness; it was space I'm meant to fill. And what an honor to have this canvas all to myself. This is for anyone who doesn't feel home yet, no matter which city you're in. I've learned that home shows up in a tree you're awed by. In tears that you can let go on a car ride. In laughter that doesn't need to last for it to mean forever. In love that doesn't make sense. In a routine that grounds you. And most of all, in the courage to give yourself the chance to change your story.

— Sakshi (@thesakshishukla) October 2, 2026

Sakshi wrote, "I chose Bangalore because here I wasn't a nobody. I was someone 'in making'. The only person I could fall back on was myself. As much as it pains me to say that, it was the reality of my life."

She described the situation as difficult because if she failed, there was no home waiting for her to return to. 

"Everything I was, everything I could be, was on the line," she wrote.

According to Sakshi, she had not expected the city to challenge her while also quietly changing her sense of self.

She said Bengaluru allowed her to "fail and thrive, push and slow down" and discover more about herself through the chaos. 

She also said the city gave her more love than she felt deserving of and helped her find some of her greatest joys.

Sakshi said she no longer feels like a "lone fighter". She has found an entire "village" of people cheering her on, with each person finding their way into her life.

Sakshi said she had once wondered whether standing across several oceans could lessen the emptiness she had felt throughout her life. She later realised that perhaps it was not emptiness, but space she was meant to fill.

She ended her post with a message for anyone who does not feel at home yet, regardless of the city they live in. She wrote that home can be found in a tree that inspires awe, tears released during a car ride, laughter, love, a grounding routine and, most importantly, "the courage to give yourself the chance to change your story."