“I’m Kayalvizhi, and I grew up in Tiruvannamalai. Today, I work as a Product Manager, I’ve authored a book titled Career Womentor, and I’m an MBA graduate from IIM Ahmedabad. But before all of that, I was shaped by my parents, teachers, and mentors. They were the first people who gave me a stage to speak on, who trusted my voice, and who paid forward life lessons long before I understood their value.

Like many small-town girls, coming to Chennai meant freedom. It meant access. For the first time, I could attend book fairs, literary festivals, and talks that happened almost all year round. The city quietly expanded my world. It showed me what was possible simply by letting me be present.

At 23, I rented a house by myself as a single woman in Chennai. That decision changed me. Living alone taught me independence, self-awareness, and responsibility in ways no classroom ever could. Chennai gave me wings. It allowed me to discover who I was, without labels or limitations.

Later, when I moved to Ahmedabad to study at IIM, I thought I was chasing growth. And I was. But within a year, I realised something was missing. I missed Chennai. I missed its cultural pulse, its language, its familiarity. That’s when I understood that while Chennai had given me wings, it had also quietly given me roots.

Today, everything I do, whether it’s building products, mentoring others, or writing, carries pieces of this city within it. Chennai taught me how to grow, and more importantly, how to stay grounded while doing so.

Some cities give you ambition. Some give you belonging. Chennai gave me both.”