Story of Raj's Life...

I feel I am the luckiest man alive to be surrounded by love. There are times that I stray, but it does seem to find me unequivocally. "Always to be seen, always to be heard, and ultimately, always to be found by love."

I was born to my parents, Nanji and Sumita, on a cool Saturday afternoon in December - the second of December. I came home to Acocks Green, England, wrapped in a white blanket. My older sister had wondered what her mother brought into the home. I came as quite a shock for everyone, weighing in at a little over 8 pounds. My sister had realized later on that I was here to stay, and was going to soil more nappies in her home. Not to mention that the attention that used to be directed to her had shifted over to me. After all, I was the first boy that my parents had. (I'll talk more about my kid brother as I proceed with this monologue.)

As a baby and a very young boy, my sister, Nimisha, and my female cousins found it absolutely exciting to have me around to play with. I would find myself wearing eyeliner (anjani) and at times nail polish. I didn't protest much as I was happy just to get the attention. My uncle's family and my family lived together and thus explained the tight-knit relationship I had with my cousins, as if they were my brothers and sisters - they still are.

As I got older, and my family moved into 72 Barn Lane which was on the other side of town, the relationship I had with my sister began to go through it's ups and downs - overall it was definitely for the better. Being the only two children in our new home encouraged us to become even more brotherly and sisterly toward each other. As a little brother, I made it my duty to consistently annoy my sister (in a loving little brother fashion). We had our fights and harmless punches - but there were also days that I was absolutely glad to have my sister with me.

There were times in our younger years, when my sister and I would arrive home from school a little earlier than my parents would get back from work. She would make tomatoes and mashed potatoes to hold us over until my mother made it home. The times I appreciated the most was when she and I would build a tent out of blankets in our family room. The tent would shelter me from the shouts of the thunder and the streaks of the lightening during the storm season - which I thought, lasted for nearly an eternity. (I am not afraid of lightening anymore - but amazed with the lightening that the Gods draw in the sky - especially the ones I had seen when I lived in Las Vegas.) During those younger years, I had also learned the value of having friends - and a best friend, Adam Whitehouse. Hmm… I wonder what he is up to nowadays….

The sixth of August, 1982, was an important day for me and my family - it was the year that we immigrated to the United States. Being in my uncle's 6-passenger Buick Regal was the epitome of my arrival into the U.S. I was impressed by the dashboard, which looked like a grandfather clock. As my thread was being woven into the fabric of America, a change of irreversible magnitude was and still is taking place within myself. I had to adjust from going to a parochial school - complete with uniforms and 'discipline' to a school filled with a different vibrance - one where I learned how to play four-square with my newfound friends - from all walks and cultures of life.

North Elementary School, in La Puente, California, was the first school I had attended when I arrived into the United States. My 5th grade teacher, Mr. Razo, was very instrumental in developing my passion for school - especially computers and mathematics. I had my first taste of computing, by learning some BASIC and playing Canyon Climber on a Tandy TRS-80.

Time flew by with school and our move to the Central Valley in California. During this literary time warp, I had experienced what my sister had experienced many years ago - a shift in parental attention - a brother was born. I was 12 years old at the time and at first, and probably for a few years, I had a hard time adjusting to the arrival of my kid brother, Chandresh. As time passes, I can't even imagine living without him - he reminds me of the innocence that is forgotten as we grow up. I am lucky to be a witness to his growing up.

I ended up at one of my dream universities to study my life's professional passion - architecture. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering (an amalgam of architecture and structural engineering) from the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo. These college years were grueling and stretched my thoughts in ways I wasn't aware of, outside of class as well as in the classroom. Later, I would realize that this school and the experiences I had would play a part in my career in the most unsuspecting ways.

My career as an aspiring structural engineer took me to Southern California, as well as a detour through Las Vegas. I was fortunate to have been involved in some really cool projects! I slowly realized that I had a passion for technology and computers. My current stop, on my professional journey, is as an entrepreneur building a new practice as an independent consultant, currently contracted to the ChevronTexaco Corporation. The bottom line is… I'm enjoying what I am doing - Tina can attest to my enthusiastic, geek-like, childlike excitement for technology.

I am very lucky to be blessed with such loving souls in my life. Life can only get better now.

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