In the vast, sprawling expanse of Mumbai, where neon-lit high-rises cast long shadows over densely packed informal settlements, millions of stories unfold every day. Most are swallowed by the relentless pace of the city. But every so often, a story breaks through the noise—one so improbable, so deeply moving, that it serves as a beacon of hope for an entire generation. This is the story of Sarang Tulsidas More, a young man who grew up in an 8×10 foot room in a Vikhroli slum, survived on little more than bread and chai, and ultimately forged a path to working on cutting-edge space technology for NASA.

The Crucible of Vikhroli

To understand Sarang’s achievement, one must first understand the reality of his beginnings. The room his family called home was no larger than a standard office cubicle. Measuring roughly eight feet by ten feet, this tiny space served as a bedroom, kitchen, living room, and study area for the entire family. In a slum neighborhood in Vikhroli, a eastern suburb of Mumbai, basic amenities were a daily struggle.

During the monsoon season, when Mumbai is battered by relentless torrential rains, the roof would leak uncontrollably. Water would seep into the room, soaking their minimal belongings and forcing the family to spend nights standing or sitting on elevated surfaces just to stay dry.

Financial hardship was a constant companion. When Sarang’s father lost his job, the family’s fragile economic stability collapsed entirely. Money grew so scarce that basic meals became a luxury. There were prolonged periods where the family survived on nothing more than plain bread (pav) dipped in hot tea (chai)—a cheap, temporary fix to quiet the sharp pangs of hunger.

Yet, amid the damp walls, the flickering electricity, and the constant din of the slum, there was an unyielding determination. The backbone of this persistence was Sarang’s mother. Refusing to let poverty dictate her children’s future, she took on whatever odd jobs she could find, from sewing to selling homemade goods. Every rupee she earned was carefully guarded, allocated first toward basic survival, and second toward her son’s education.

Education Against the Odds

For Sarang, school was both a refuge and an arena of severe testing. While he possessed an innate curiosity and a natural aptitude for mathematics and science, the harsh financial realities of his life were never far behind.

There were times when his family simply could not afford to pay his school fees on time. In many Indian private and semi-private schools, non-payment of fees can lead to public embarrassment or the withholding of report cards and examination hall tickets. Sarang faced these humiliations firsthand. Yet, instead of crushing his spirit, these moments fueled an intense internal resolve. He understood early on that education was his family’s only ticket out of structural poverty.

He studied under the dim light of a single bulb, often late into the night after the neighborhood had quieted down. While his peers had private tutors, dedicated study desks, and quiet rooms, Sarang had a small corner of a crowded floor and an unwavering focus.

His hard work paid off when he cleared his high school examinations with stellar marks, earning a prized seat in the Mechanical Engineering program at Mumbai University.

The Turning Point: Engineering and the Skyward Gaze

College brought new challenges. Engineering coursework required textbooks, lab fees, and access to computers—resources that were financially out of reach. Sarang relied heavily on secondhand books, shared resources with classmates, and spent endless hours in university libraries.

It was during his undergraduate years in Mechanical Engineering that Sarang’s fascination with fluid dynamics, thermal engineering, and aerospace systems began to solidify. He didn’t just want to build machines on Earth; he was captivated by the extreme environments of outer space, where thermal management becomes a matter of life and death for spacecraft and astronauts alike.

Upon graduating with top honors, Sarang set his sights on a goal that seemed completely absurd to those around him: pursuing higher education in the United States. To someone living in an 8×10 foot room in Vikhroli, the American higher education system might as well have been on another planet. The application fees, standardized test costs, visa processing fees, and airfare represented sums of money his family had never seen in their lifetimes.

Through educational loans, assistance from well-wishers, and sheer grit, Sarang managed to secure admission to the University of Cincinnati for a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering—a institution renowned for its research in propulsion and thermal systems.

Touching the Stars: The NASA Connection

Arriving in the United States was a profound cultural and environmental shock, but the academic rigor was familiar territory. Sarang applied the same work ethic in American laboratories that had sustained him in the Vikhroli slum.

His research focus turned to advanced thermal management systems, specifically heat pipes and two-phase cooling mechanisms designed for high-stress environments. In space, where there is no atmosphere to conduct heat away, electronic components on satellites and space hardware can easily overheat and fail. Efficiently moving heat away from sensitive electronics is one of the greatest engineering hurdles in aerospace design.

Sarang’s exceptional research capabilities brought him to the attention of academic programs funded directly by NASA grants and space technology initiatives. He began working on projects focused on developing next-generation heat transport devices for space applications. His work contributed directly to testing and refining hardware designs destined for spaceflight conditions and advanced aerospace systems used by NASA researchers.

For a boy who once sat on a flooded floor eating bread soaked in tea, analyzing thermal data for hardware meant for the vacuum of space was a poetic realization of a impossible dream.

The Legacy of a Journey

Sarang More’s journey from the slums of Mumbai to the forefront of aerospace engineering is more than just a personal triumph. It stands as a stark commentary on potential and opportunity. Across the world’s informal settlements, millions of brilliant minds are constrained by the sheer weight of poverty. Sarang’s story illustrates what happens when talent meets relentless willpower and motherly sacrifice.

Today, Sarang’s story continues to inspire young students across India and around the globe. It serves as a powerful reminder that one’s birthplace does not dictate one’s destination. The 8×10 foot room in Vikhroli may have been where his life began, but the universe was where he belonged.

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