A Run Against The Odds
“It’s what you do with the second chance that counts.” – Dave Wilson
The Voice of a First-Generation Immigrant:
I am Ullaas Menon, a ‘born again’ Indian American, a first-generation immigrant in this beautiful country.
When I boarded the KLM flight for New York from Delhi on the 16th of March 1994, it was only to travel across the land, feast my eyes on its sights and to then return to India.
Little did I know that destiny had other plans in store for me.
For it was love at first sight. I fell head over heels in love with this great land. its sights, its people, its culture. So much so, that I decided to leave everything behind.
Everything I had. Everything I did. Everything I had planned to build in India.
My family. Homeland. Culture.
I had to start my ‘Second Innings’ in America from scratch.
And I went at it hammer and tongs.
By re-building my life. Brick by brick. Day by day. Inch by tortuous inch.
And today, by the grace of the Almighty and the innate generosity of a land that believes in giving everyone an opportunity, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth, here I am!
A software engineer by profession. A life coach by inclination. An entrepreneur by choice. A holistic healthcare practitioner by conviction.
And as Providence would have it, a devoted father to two beautiful children.
There were however times during my journey when I was up the creek without a paddle and I would hope, wish ………
I would desperately yearn for that bit of encouraging advise, a comforting slap on the back and …..
There were yet other times when my desperate hands would hopefully stretch out to try and ……
And my hands would close around thin air.
Maybe it was because I had more lessons in store for me before success became mine.
But you can bet your last buck that there were times when I wished for a guardian angel!
Therefore, the birth of ”Second Innings”, a podcast which I hope will be a source of inspiration for the first-generation immigrant to the United States of America. A podcast wherein I interview first generation immigrants to America on their experiences in this great land.
“Second Innings” is about first-generation immigrants and the second chances that came their way.
My Second Innings
” America is the land of opportunity, where everyone can go and do anything, be anything, make any dream come true.” – Shashi Tharoor
Into this land of opportunity came I at the age of 31, leaving behind a successful printing and advertising business in Delhi.
Having been trained in the rough and tumble of Delhi’s markets, I moved hook, line and sinker, to my new home of New York City, prepared for the long haul. For my ‘Second Innings.’
I had come to stay.
When I look back, I guess there were two things that went in my favor. One, I had virtually burnt my bridges with the past and it was either drown or swim.
That was a no brainer. I swam.
Two, though I didn’t know it at that time, America is one country that has always given the underdog a place under the sun.
Provided the person had talent and was willing to work hard. Really hard.
My story in all probability would mirror that of a million others. A million struggles. A million triumphs.
Nonetheless, a story to be heard.
After a couple of false starts at trying to build a business which fizzled out due to a highly misplaced belief in the goodness of human nature, I was left scraping the bottom of the barrel.
I had to literally start from scratch.
From being a shoe salesman to a yellow cab driver to a Limousine driver to a computer programmer to an entrepreneur. One hell of a roller coaster ride. Whew!
Where Work Commands Respect:
My journey in New York City began with a stint as a shoe salesman in a store on 8th street in Greenwich Village.
My job description included sweeping the floors of the store, managing the stock room and of course selling shoes. Working a 12-hour shift. Seven days a week. Though used to working hard and not being fussy about the type of work I did, I must say that I found sweeping floors a tad uncomfortable. I would try and rush the job to save myself the blushes.
But then, when I was on the job, sweeping the dust off, passersby would wish me “good morning” and some would even address me as sir.
For here it did not matter what you did but only how well you did it.
This country taught me what dignity of labor meant.
This happens only in America.
The 11th Commandment:
Having worked at selling shoes for nearly a year or so, I did graduate, if one may call it so, to the job of a yellow cab driver working the night shift from 5 pm to 5am. For a year again.
I followed this with a stint as a Limousine driver clocking 16-hour shifts, often spending long winter nights sleeping in the back seat, in the city that never sleeps. As the fates would have it, a passenger I had picked up one day suggested to me that I join an institute where he taught computer programming on weekends. On being told that the fees would be beyond my means, he said that he would stand guarantee for my fees at the institution.
To make a long story short, I joined the institute for programming, paid the fees in three instalments, finished the course two months before time and joined a software company as a computer programmer.
In three months’ time I joined a tier 1 investment bank as a software consultant, specializing in investment banking technology.
I then went on to graduate Summa cum Laude from the New York Institute of Technology with an MS in computer science.
I was on a roll!
The 11th commandment: “In this land of opportunities thou shall be given a second chance.”
Who knows, an opportunity, a chance that might even come in the guise of a passenger.
This happens only in America.
Value for Life: “Human progress isn’t measured by a country’s wealth, it’s measured by the value it puts on life.”
Once while ferrying a passenger in my cab I was caught in a traffic jam on some inside street and saw fire engines and police cars blocking the street. They were involved in rescuing a cat stuck between the pipes of a tall building. Once they rescued it, the crowd applauded in appreciation of the first responders.
Goose bumps played across my body.
Another incident was when my taxi broke down in the night in Manhattan at 97th street and Lexington Ave, an area that was not considered safe in the 90’s. Having called up base for support, I slid into the back seat and soon fell fast asleep. I was suddenly woken up by the sound of someone banging on the window with torch light shining on my face. He was a beat cop and was worried that something had happened to me and was about to break open the window suspecting that I may have been stabbed and left in the back seat.
These small incidents only go on to prove that in this land of opportunities, the value of life, whether human or animal, is absolute and is just not negotiable. Civilization at its best.
This happens only in America.
The Promised Land:
This is the promised land for those of you who have talent and a dream and the capacity for hard work. Believe me, nothing on earth will be able to stop you in this blessed land.
A dream country for those with an entrepreneurial leaning. For those in whom the animal spirits still rage. A place where if you have an idea the system enables you to realize its maximum potential.
I am a standing example for it.
My journey from a shoe salesman to a taxi driver to a computer programmer to an entrepreneur.
This journey happened only because of this enabling system. And only in this country.
It happens only in America.
My Family
As I continued to make a mark in my chosen line of work, somewhere my family life was beginning to fray at the edges. Finally ending in a separation and then a divorce.
I had to part with my wife of 15 years, who was part of my journey from the time I interviewed for my first tech job. Among other things, she was the one who pushed me on to do my master’s in computer sciences and is mother to my two beautiful children, whom I am devoted to.
I had to start building my life all over again with a new set of challenges and a very disturbed mind.
Providence did step in and I was able to re-build my life with the help of an angel of a person whom I am married to right now.
Well, this second chance was not something I had hankered for.
But this having happened, I am going to make a game of it.
With the help of my wife who has helped make life so much more meaningful.
Well, I guess I must thank America. For this is the place that gave me my new partner too.
Second Innings – The Podcast
My story at the core I am sure is that of a thousand other immigrants. Those people who came to this land of opportunities seeking à better life and refused to quit, who kept their faith in themselves and traversed through difficult personal conditions. The story of ordinary folks showing extraordinary courage, strength and tenacity.
”Second Innings” will bring to you the personal narratives and lessons from those who have paved a path and which I am sure will empower and encourage us to face life in this country with renewed confidence.
To borrow Abraham Lincoln’s words ‘Second Innings’ is “Of the first-generation immigrant. Brought to you by a first-generation immigrant. And for the first-generation immigrant” in the United States of America.
I invite you to join me in sharing and learning from one another, in each episode of ”Second Innings.”
Come, let us take this journey together.