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Indian founder says ‘Home finds you’ after Bay Area reunion with college senior
A chance encounter between two Thapar Institute alumni in California highlighted the enduring bonds of the Indian diaspora across generations.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 26, May 2026
- 16:52 EDT
- 41
Elderly Sikh couple in Bay Area / X/ @harshdeeprapal
An Indian entrepreneur living in California recently shared how a chance meeting with an elderly Sikh couple during an evening walk turned into an emotional reminder of home and shared roots.
Harshdeep Rapal, founder of AI startup Legitt AI, recounted the encounter in a post on X, where he revealed that the elderly man he met had graduated from the same college as him decades earlier.
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The interaction began with a brief greeting before turning into a long conversation.
“Yesterday evening, while out for a walk in the neighborhood, I met an elderly Sikh couple. We exchanged a quick ‘Sat Sri Akaal’ and somehow ended up talking for almost an hour,” Rapal wrote.
Patiala Boy | College Senior.
— Harshdeep Rapal | Legitt AI (@harshdeeprapal) May 7, 2026
Yesterday evening, while out for a walk in the neighborhood, I met an elderly Sikh couple. We exchanged a quick “Sat Sri Akaal” and somehow ended up talking for almost an hour.
Turns out uncle was from Patiala and had graduated from the same… pic.twitter.com/eCZADXWx01
Rapal later discovered that the man was originally from Patiala in Punjab and had graduated from Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology in 1969. Rapal himself graduated from the same institution in 2005, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The elderly man later pursued an M.Tech. degree from IIT Delhi before moving to the United States in 1971 for his first job.
“Did his M. Tech. from IIT Delhi, applied for a US Green Card while still in India (Yes, back in the day you could apply for a Green Card while still in India and it was delivered by mail at home), and moved to the US in 1971 for his first job,” Rapal wrote.
The man reportedly spent a few years in New York before settling in California’s Bay Area, where he has lived for more than five decades.
Rapal said the conversation quickly became personal, with the elderly couple asking about his family, career and startup.
“He asked me about my family, work, and Legitt AI with so much curiosity and warmth. At one point, it genuinely felt like he was feeling so proud of me,” Rapal wrote, adding that the couple invited him over for dinner the following weekend.
The entrepreneur said the pair waved at him again the next morning while he waited for an Uber nearby.
Reflecting on the encounter, Rapal concluded his post with the line: “Funny how sometimes home finds you away from home.”
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