I am Abhi.
My story is a tale of three cities – Mumbai, London, Sydney.
My first
chapter starts in Mumbai.
I had a
lower middle class, fairly problem free childhood. Till the age of 5, I lived
in a house this big. Living in such small spaces was very common place back
then. Everyone lived frugally. You don’t crave for what you don’t know. I was
good at academics, but not exceptional like Einstein, with whom I share my birth date with. I was good at
sports, but again for that generation of middle-class Indians, the focus was to
study, and become a doctor or engineer. So I became an engineer. A Chemical
Engineer. Then I did what all chemical engineers in India do – went into IT.
Living in
Mumbai is not the easiest thing though. Have you seen the traffic that
scrambles brains, the deadly rains, and the packed trains. I have traveled in those
trains. When people here complain about crowds, I just laugh. Have you been in
a train where you are unable to see where the rest of your body is for the rest
of the journey? Sweat can’t escape you!!!, Things are that tightly packed.
Mumbai is
tightly packed with incredible people, but it was not the place for me.
Work in IT
took me to UK. After living through 3 cities in the UK, I decided to settle in
London. This is where my second chapter starts
By then, there
were three of us – wife, a tiny 1 year old daughter and me. From better career
opportunities, wanting to stay in a cosmopolitan place like Mumbai, and being
able to find typical Indian grocery items like brown chickpeas, black lentils, and
bottle gourd, we decided to settle in London.
London was
amazing. May it was that specific time in my life, or the place – but I
discovered who I truly am. I took jobs that played to my strengths. At
different times, I started a running club, kids’ quiz club and a cycling club.
I realised the power of perseverance. To start or create anything new, don’t
expect quick returns. Plan, persevere, adapt. Expect the worst and be
pleasantly surprised when things GO your way.
We lived in London for 10 years. Just as we
bought a house, spent all the time, and money doing it up, I got a job offer here
in Australia.
Well the
thing is, my sister lives here. And so DID my two cousins. So, I was open to opportunities
down-under. When I landed the job, wife and I looked at each other – Leave behind
all our friends, good school, well-settled jobs??… our new home, ??... to
venture to completely new place.
But we
wanted to be closer to our family. So, Sydney it was.
Here starts
my third chapter – Sydney. In Sept 2017, I came to Sydney alone. Family would
follow later. Living like a bachelor, finding a new place to rent, sorting out
the furniture, it was like turning the clock back a decade. Work at first also
threw some weird curveballs. I came as an IT Architect, but was working as a
coder. If you don’t know what both the roles are, well then….IT Architect is
like an actual Architect, and coder is like a brick layer. Both needs skills,
but I did not come all the way down here to lay bricks. Fortunately, this was
only a short-term issue and I am glad I got hands dirty.
However,
there was a much bigger upheaval coming. Remember, I told you I had two cousins
in Australia. Yes, siblings of my youngest aunt. One of them was studying in Queensland.
Hemant graduated on 13th Dec that year. I and daughter spent 5 beautiful
days with him during graudation time. It was an extremely proud moment for us
watching him get his degree.
A few weeks
later, Hemant went to visit his sister in Melbourne for the first time in Aus.
They were out at Philip Island. It was Christmas Day. Hemant got into the
water. We now know it was very rough out there. He got sucked in by a rip
current. It was Christmas day, so no life-guards or that many people around.
Hemant was lost forever to sea.
As you can
imagine, it was a truly devastating time for the family, especially his
parents, who travelled to Australia for the first time for this.
However, we
decided that something needed to be done. From all the funds that were donated
after his death, we started a non-profit in his name. So far, we have raised
awareness through radio, TV interviews, talked at universities, worked with
local surf life saving clubs, sponsored CPR session for new arrivals. This is
what keeps his memory burning bright in our minds.
So. So far…Australia
has taken some, but it has given some… Us relatives are much closer and its
great for kids. The weather is awesome. The land, life-style, the people, they
are all great.
We are not
at home yet. But one day, we will be. And then, it will be the best of times.
