A TISS postgraduate who was about to start their first job died in a Delhi hotel fire.

Shrutika Baranwal had just stepped into the next phase of her life. The 25-year-old postgraduate from Mumbai’s Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) had secured a job through campus placement and traveled to the capital this week only to complete formal induction procedures before returning to start her career.

She never made it back.

Baranwal was one of 21 people killed on Wednesday when a fast-moving fire tore through a bed-and-breakfast facility in Hauz Rani, South Delhi. While many of those staying at the property were patients or their relatives seeking treatment at nearby hospitals, Baranwal was there on a work-related visit – a brief stop on what should have been a journey forward.

A native of Bokaro in Jharkhand, Baranwal had earned a Master’s degree in Water Policy and Governance. Her degree was to be formally conferred at an upcoming convocation. She had been hired by the Rubber, Chemical, and Polymer Skill Development Council, and friends said she was visibly excited about the opportunity.

That excitement turned to horror on Wednesday. Baranwal was on the phone with her friend and batchmate Aman Singh when the fire broke out.

“I cannot forget those screams,” Singh recalled.

“I lost contact with her. When I was unable to reconnect the call, I spoke to a friend who knew where she stayed in Delhi, and we contacted the police. Within a few minutes, they called and informed us about the fire,” she said.

Singh and other friends quickly informed her family and cousins living in Delhi.

Those who knew Baranwal described her as energetic, empathetic, and deeply committed.

Ritika Agrawal, 25, who shared a room with her for a year at TISS, remembered a friend who embraced life fully. “Even if she went wrong, she would take it sportingly. She was a safe space and a great listener…She was visiting Delhi for office work,” Agrawal said.

Faculty and mentors highlighted her seriousness of purpose. Pranjal Deekshit, chairperson of the TISS Centre for Water Policy and Governance, called her “a very sincere student who would proactively take part in various initiatives.”

“She had secured a placement and was excited…She was doing great work in the area of groundwater preservation. Her Master’s dissertation on shallow aquifer management in Dhanbad was well-appreciated by faculty as well as those working in the field,” Deekshit said.

Eklavya Prasad, managing trustee of Megh Pyne Abhiyan, an organisation active in the Dhanbad region, had guided her dissertation. He described her fieldwork as driven by genuine passion rather than academic requirements.

“Her work and involvement in the field work were really commendable. She was not working to tick boxes, but with complete interest and purpose, wanting to bring about a change, and with a spark we require in the social sector,” he said.

In Mumbai, friends gathered on Thursday for a condolence meeting to remember Baranwal.

The fire, one of the deadliest in the capital in recent years, prompted renewed scrutiny of building safety norms in densely populated areas with mixed commercial and residential use. Authorities have arrested the owner of the property, and multiple agencies, including the Delhi Disaster Management Authority and fire services, are investigating the origin of the blaze and possible violations.

At least 12 foreign nationals were among the dead.