A Pilgrimage to America
Bharat (Bob) Shah
- From
- a
- remote
- 1960s
- dusty
- village
- of
- India,
- a
- young
- man
- in
- his
- early
- twenties
- suddenly
- and
- unexpectedly
- lands
- in
- the
- USA
- as
- a
- foreign
- student.
- He
- struggled
- for
- many
- years
- in
- the
- US
- with
- all
- the
- difficulties
- many
- immigrants
- go
- through.He
- has
- observed
- America
- going
- through
- the
- turbulent
- times
- of
- the
- Vietnam
- War,
- 1960s
- riots
- and
- the
- changing
- times
- of
- the
- 1970s
- and
- onwards.After
- graduating
- as
- a
- chemical
- engineer,
- he
- arrives
- in
- Houston.
- He
- is
- jobless,
- has
- little
- cash,
- does
- not
- know
- anyone
- in
- Houston,
- and
- does
- not
- know
- where
- to
- spend
- his
- first
- night.
- He
- struggles
- in
- Houston
- trying
- to
- get
- any
- labor
- job.
- He
- moves
- from
- place
- to
- place:
- From
- a
- rundown
- hotel
- to
- sharing
- an
- apartment
- with
- strangers,
- to
- a
- dilapidated
- house
- in
- a
- dangerous
- neighborhood,
- to
- a
- cheap
- boarding
- house,
- and
- again
- sharing
- an
- apartment
- with
- more
- strangers.
- He
- can't
- find
- even
- a
- menial
- job.
- He
- is
- down
- to
- his
- last
- ten
- dollars
- when
- he
- accidentally
- finds
- a
- warehouse
- laborer
- job.He
- is
- almost
- deported
- by
- immigration
- but
- manages
- to
- stay
- legally
- in
- the
- US.For
- three
- and
- half
- years
- after
- graduation,
- he
- works
- several
- odd
- jobs
- and
- interacts
- with
- various
- lower
- levels
- of
- the
- American
- class.
- This
- was
- not
- the
- America
- he
- had
- heard
- of
- in
- India.He
- has
- failed
- in
- dozens
- of
- attempts
- to
- land
- an
- engineering
- job.
- Finally,
- in
- desperation,
- he
- dares
- to
- take
- a
- humiliating,
- low-paying
- trainee
- job
- just
- to
- get
- his
- feet
- in
- an
- engineering
- company's
- door.
- This
- strategy
- works,
- as
- he
- eventually
- gets
- his
- first
- engineering
- job
- there.He
- describes
- various
- unusual
- experiences
- of
- his
- modest
- but
- successful
- 31-year
- career
- in
- the
- same
- company.
- Then
- he
- risks
- his
- career
- and
- becomes
- a
- successful
- consultant
- for
- the
- next
- eleven
- years
- and
- retires.Happily
- married,
- he
- has
- two
- daughters
- and
- four
- grandchildren,
- and
- has
- fulfilled
- the
- American
- dream.In
- the
- last
- few
- chapters,
- he
- adds
- unique
- family
- anecdotes,
- memories,
- and
- personal
- experiences
- of
- growing
- up
- in
- a
- large
- family
- in
- India.
- He
- writes
- about
- how
- his
- elder
- siblings
- influenced
- and
- changed
- his
- life.He
- has
- distinct
- memories
- of
- growing
- up
- as
- an
- extremely
- skinny
- boy
- in
- an
- exceptionally
- large
- well-to-do
- family.
- He
- recalls
- not
- seeing
- any
- dentist
- until
- he
- is
- in
- his
- late
- twenties
- and
- celebrating
- his
- birthday
- for
- the
- first
- time
- at
- the
- age
- of 29.
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