Early Life in Nairobi, Kenya
I was born in Nairobi, Kenya, in an unusual setting—a garage. Yes, that’s true, my parents were thrown away from the family when my mother was carrying me in her womb. This garage was provided by my dad’s friend, and he did not have any spare rooms. My mom told me about this garage which had a leaking roof when it rained and additionally it was very cold all the time. My childhood was shaped by the vibrant community around me, and I spent much of my early years living with neighbors. I attended school in Nairobi, eventually completing my high school education. Soon after, I secured a job as an accounts clerk at a British insurance company, marking the beginning of my professional journey.

Adventures in the Great Outdoors
In 1963, I embarked on a thrilling expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak with an altitude of Over 16,315 feet high, with my fellow Boy Scouts. Inspired by this experience, I returned in 1964 with my colleagues from the insurance company for another successful climb. The experience of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was walking for 4 days to the base camp where the temperature was subzero compared to warm/hot weather in Nairobi. I had to wear layers of clothes to keep warm. With climbing stepping on loose larva rocks as we got up the altitude became very difficult to stop often to grab breath back. These adventures instilled in me a lifelong love for exploration and perseverance.

A Role in Kenya’s Independence
As a Boy Scout, I had the honor of participating in Kenya’s Independence Day celebrations. Witnessing this historic moment firsthand deepened my understanding of the power of freedom and national pride. With Kenya getting Independence I automatically become Kenya Citizen and had to give up my British Nationality.

A New Chapter in the UK
Driven by aspirations for higher education, I left Kenya to study in the UK. Initially, I had to borrow airfare money from my uncle as my dad was not able to afford my travel. In London I stayed with my maternal uncle before my mother and brothers joined me after 2 years. Together, my mother and I purchased a house, solidifying our roots in our new home when I was 21 years old. My dad stayed behind to wind up his business. To pay for mortgage and survive myself and my brothers did several part time jobs like delivering newspaper or milk, it was very tough, but we managed.

Education and Early Career in Technology
I enrolled in a technical college to study Civil Engineering, but my growing interest in computers led me down a different path. My course was a sandwich course, a 6-month theory and 6 months practical. My practical experience was working for Government Road Research laboratory tasks were to take levels of road on Highways. My boss brought me an ad showing Philips advertising for trainee programmers. Out of 50 participants only 8 passed the IQ tests and I was one of the 8 selected. We were allocated times for one-to-one interview as my interview was later on I cam home and discussed with my mom of being selected. She was not happy changing from Civil engineering to computers which was not popular. So, when I returned to interview I answered the question so that I did not qualify. After a few days a letter of offer came which was offering me good salary, so I accepted the position.
My career in technology began when I joined Philips as a trainee programmer, where I installed mechanical desktop computers for accounting and manufacturing applications. This was the dawn of my journey into the ever-evolving world of computing.

Journey to the United States
In June 1970, I was selected by Camp America to work as an exchange scout in California. For eight weeks, I shared my scouting experiences from Kenya and the UK at a campsite in Sequoia National Park. My journey took me from London to Chicago on a charter flight and then onward to California, where I stayed with a camp counselor before heading to Camp Whitsett in Kern Valley. Spent 8 weeks at the Camp and I fell in love with California.

Return to Computing and Community Service
After returning to the UK, I resumed my work in computing while also volunteering in the evenings to mentor Indian schoolchildren in judo, table tennis, and other activities. In 1971, I helped facilitate an exchange program where German students spent two weeks with our youth group. This led to an opportunity in 1972, when I was introduced to Siemens, the company responsible for computerizing the Munich Olympic Games. After an interview, I was selected to work on this groundbreaking project.

Marriage and Munich Olympics
As I prepared to move to Munich, my mother insisted that I marry before leaving. Story of my wife’s relatives coming to meet me, but I was not keen on getting married. Within a week, I was engaged, and soon after, I married Uma, who was also born in Kenya. Working on the 1972 Munich Olympics was an incredible experience, as it was the first time the Games were fully computerized. Uma and I took advantage of our time in Europe, honeymooning through Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, and Germany. I experienced the best of life in Munich learning German and hospitality to both of us.

Career Growth and Family Life
In 1973, we returned to London, where our first child, Trishna, was born. I continued my computing career with Singer Business Machines and, in December 1974, moved to Toronto to work for Singer. A year later, I transitioned to a better role at Sperry Univac, overseeing technical support across Canada. In 1976, our son Parath was born. I delivered my son myself as there was nit time to go to hospital – my First Aid learning helped in the process of the birth. By 1977, I was transferred to Sperry’s headquarters in London, where I was responsible for setting up offices in France, Germany, and the UK. In July 1978, I was transferred to Irvine, California, to lead Sperry’s worldwide program management. During this time, our second daughter was born in Mission Viejo. In 1982, I moved to Connecticut to work in brokering large IBM computers. Return to England and Community Involvement. In July 1985, I moved back to England, focusing on brokering computer equipment between the US, the Middle East, and Europe. In 1986, I became deeply involved in saving the Hare Krishna Temple in Watford, which had been donated by George Harrison of The Beatles. Facing opposition from local residents, I was elected Chairman of the Hare Krishna Temple Defense Movement. From 1986 to 1996, our campaign extended across the UK, Europe, India, and South Africa, connecting us with prominent figures like Lal Advani, Rishi Kapoor, Bal Thackeray, Sheila Dixit, and Nelson Mandela.

Settling in California
In November 1996, we returned to California, settling in Laguna Hills while our three children pursued their studies at Chapman College in Orange.

Professional Endeavors in Business Development
From 1997 to 1998, I served as Director of Business Development at a start-up software company specializing in aerospace and defense manufacturing systems. My role involved managing marketing and sales programs, developing promotional materials, and establishing strategic alliances with major software companies like SAP and Oracle. Between 1998 and 2001, I worked as General Manager for a division of Bridge Technology, a $65 million computer company. My responsibilities include overseeing sales, marketing, and distribution of mass storage products, forming strategic partnerships, and expanding business operations in the US and Europe.

Leadership in the Storage Industry
From 2001 to 2009, I served as President of International Operations at Advanced Technology & Systems Co. Ltd. (ADTX), a Japanese company specializing in high-end data RAID storage. My role included designing global sales strategies, recruiting sales and marketing teams, building international distribution networks, and managing relationships with third-party software and hardware vendors. I was honored to be elected to the Board of Directors during my tenure. Before I conclude, let you inform you of my dearest wife Uma who was married for 48 years before she passed away over 6 years ago. She was very instrumental to bringing all my three children whilst I was working abroad on several business trips. In the last 10 years of her life, she had chest issues and when she had bronchoscopy procedure at a local hospital in Dana Point she got infected with pseudomonas which is bacterial infection with no anti-bacterial medicines. She spent about 3 times a year getting pneumonia and got treatment in Kaiser Hospital. Doctors tried all medicines to help her but, in the end, she became resistant to all of them and requested us and the doctors saying, “let me go”. In her last visit when
she was on ventilators the doctors decided to remove the ventilators tubes, and she passed away peacefully on October 23, 2018.

Conclusion
Looking back, my journey has been one of resilience, adventure, and continuous learning. From my humble beginnings in Nairobi to working on cutting-edge technology projects worldwide, my life has been enriched by diverse experiences, strong family ties, and a passion for making a difference in my
community my three children all grown up my eldest daughter is teacher for special education needs for past 22 years, my son Parath who after leaving Chapman has his own computer business now for over 17 years and Puja my daughter who has been working at UC Davis as a psychiatrist for 10 years, I am blessed with 7 grandchildren with ages from 26 years to 10 years. My story is a testament to the power of determination, adaptability, and the belief that every challenge is an opportunity for growth.