An Immigrant’S Tale: And Lessons for Success in the New Country

By Pradeep Kharé

An engaging and compelling story of immigration
In 1972, Pradeep Khar arrived in Canada from India to complete a masters degree in engineering. He had never flown before nor watched a television, yet he slowly made his way and decided to make Canada his home. Over the next several decades he carved out a successful career in the environmental field, eventually becoming an assistant deputy minister in British Columbia and then chief operating officer of the National Energy Board. Along the way he learned much about what it takes for an immigrant to adapt and flourish in Canada. This is his story.
Pradeep Khar tells a deeply personal story of how a committed and disciplined immigrant can achieve an extremely satisfying life in Canada by intermeshing the culture he was born into with the culture he came to. Whether you are a newcomer to Canada or someone trying to make a career in the civil service, you will find some wonderful advice and inspiration in this book. Ben Hume, President Sheppards Building Materials Inc.
Pradeep tells an engaging and compelling story of immigration success that highlights his generosity of spirit in acknowledging the support he received and understating the racism he encountered. His focus on succeeding for himself and his family in his new country is inspirational. Lynn Moran, Executive Director, Association of Multicultural Societies and Services Agencies, B.C. (AMSSA)

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496955036

Pradeep Kharé

Pradeep Khare first came to Canada from India in 1972 at the age of 21 on a scholarship to complete his Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. After becoming a landed immigrant and graduating, he joined the industry as a project engineer, working in a small Manitoba community. However, he gradually became convinced that his future lay in the civil service where he could contribute to the common good of his new home, and so in 1977 he joined the Ontario Ministry of Environment. A few years later he moved to British Columbia where he held several management and supervisory positions in the provincial Ministry of Environment, eventually becoming an assistant deputy minister.In 2004 Pradeep moved to the national level and became a regional director general for Environment Canada, first in Ontario and then in British Columbia. This was followed by a five-year posting as chief operating officer at the National Energy Board of Canada. He retired in 2013.Throughout his career, Pradeep has volunteered his time and services, both locally — he is past president of the India Club in Vancouver and the B.C. Water and Waste Association — and as an officer with the Water Environment Federation, a global organization dedicated to water quality. He has won several awards for his work on water quality.Pradeep is married to Chitra, and they have two children and two grand children. He is enjoying his family during retirement. In mid-2014 Pradeep was diagnosed with cancer, and as this book goes to press he is undergoing treatment with a strong determination to beat it.

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© 2014 Pradeep Kharé. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Several of the stories in this book have been created to illustrate the issues for the immigrants. These stories are not real and the characters mentioned in them do not exist.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/08/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-5502-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-5503-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014920883

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter One The Goal of the Century

Chapter Two From Bombay to Saskatoon

Chapter Three Becoming Canadian

Chapter Four Gimli and Thunder Bay Were Amazing

Chapter Five From Megacity Toronto to Tiny Smithers

Chapter Six Lotusland

Chapter Seven Water, Education, and Job Interviews

Chapter Eight Opportunity to Make a Difference

Chapter Nine Influencing the Social Policy in British Columbia

Chapter Ten The National Stage

Chapter Eleven Musings and Reflections of an Immigrant

About the Author

. . . to my grandchildren Avani and Milana and future grandchildren and great-grand children …

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Several people were instrumental in encouraging and assisting me with this project.

My wife Chitra has always been a big inspiration to me and played a large part in helping me achieve my goals in Canada.

My son Nitin, my daughter Nikisha, and my daughter-in-law Daisy encouraged me when I had doubts about this project and was losing confidence. Nitin and Nikisha read draft copies of the manuscript and provided valuable comments and suggestions.

A big thank you to Ben Hume and Lynn Moran for reading the final draft and offering their encouraging words.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge Philip Sherwood of lifewriters.ca for editing the manuscript.

PREFACE

As I sat in the elegant corner office of the Chief Operating Officer of the National Energy Board (NEB) in downtown Calgary, I often paused from my busy schedule to reflect on my nearly 40 years in Canada — a country that has been exceptionally good to me. My thoughts were inevitably filled with a realisation of what an honour and privilege it had been to help shape the future of Canada as a senior civil servant. Whether it was in my current position at the NEB, or as a regional director general at Environment Canada or as an assistant deputy minister in the British Columbia provincial government, I had been given several unique opportunities to influence, develop, and implement major policies that improved the lives of Canadians. Very few countries would trust an immigrant with such responsibility.

The journey to that corner office started in a rural village in India in a home with no dining table, no microwave, no gas or electric stove, no television, and certainly no internet. It was characterized by a commitment to educational excellence that in 1972 led to an opportunity for me to complete my Masters in Chemical Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. Full of trepidation, I left everyone I loved and everything that was familiar to me and set out into the unknown. The experiences of the years and decades that followed were at times anxious, discouraging, and lonely as well as exhilarating, rewarding, and fulfilling, culminating with a deep, satisfying sense of belonging.

My career as a civil servant was motivated largely by a desire to contribute to my adopted country, and that motivation has not diminished in retirement. It came to me that my story might be helpful and an inspiration to some of the thousands of immigrants who arrive every year, especially those from countries with different ethnicities, languages, and cultural and economic values. Sadly, many do not make the transition successfully and end up living isolated, unfulfilled lives. Of course Canada has changed considerably since I arrived, but many of the challenges that newcomers face have not. And so I set out to write, telling my story and drawing on my experiences to identify the obstacles that await immigrants and to suggest strategies to overcome them and flourish. After many revisions, the result is the book you are holding.

My story is my story — nothing more. I have not availed myself of extensive research to support my premises and opinions, but I have lived them. They are based on reflective analysis of experience — both mine and others — over the years. Perhaps readers will disagree with some of my conclusions, but if my story in any way assists newcomers to adjust to their new home, pursue a meaningful career, and participate in and contribute to Canadian life, then the time and effort will have been well worth it.

Pradeep Khare,

Vancouver, September 2014

CHAPTER ONE

The Goal of the Century

Bleary-eyed and nervously clutching my small suitcase, I made my way through the crowded corridors of dimly lit Dorval airport. As I listened to the announcements, I scanned the multitude of signs looking for the check-in counter for my flight to Saskatoon. The two-day trip from Bombay, India, had included an unexpected delay in Paris and left me tired and disoriented. I was anxious not to miss this last connection.

Finally I located the check-in counter, only to find it deserted save for one agent who wasn’t paying me the slightest attention — her eyes were transfixed on a television across the hall. Following her gaze — it was the first time I had seen a television — I made out small figures flitting around the screen. I strained to hear what the broadcaster was saying.

"Savard clears a pass to Stapleton, who clears it to the open wing to Cournoyer.

"Cournoyer took a shot, but the defenseman Lyapkin fell over, and Cournoyer has it on the wing.

"Here’s a shot. Henderson made a wild stab for it and fell.

"Here’s another shot. Right in front —

THEY SCORE! Henderson has scored for Canada!

An intense roar filled the entire airport, a din so loud and all-encompassing that I cringed in panic and fearfully glanced around. Despite having lived my entire life in a densely populated country, I had never heard anything like it. Everyone was cheering and screaming — absolute pandemonium that subsided for a minute or two and then gathered force again. Finally, the counter agent turned away from the television and, beaming, asked how she could help me.

What’s going on? I blurted.

You don’t know? she exclaimed. We just won the championship of a hockey series with the Soviets. That goal you just saw was the winning goal, with only 34 seconds left in the game. We beat the Russians!

I had no idea what she was talking about — in India hockey was a game played outdoors on grass and certainly not a sport that evoked such raw passion. I smiled, mumbled my thanks and congratulations, and asked for my boarding pass.

Several hours later I got off the plane in Saskatoon where Rajiv, a fellow graduate student from India, greeted me. After taking a look at my light woolen jacket he asked me what was in my suitcase. Then he announced, We’re going to the mall to buy you a parka. I followed him to the bus stop, wondering what a parka was and how he could be so certain that I needed one. That night I stayed at Rajiv’s small apartment, and over dinner he explained the day’s momentous events.

"Ice hockey is Canada’s national sport, and they are absolutely crazy about it. They’re like religious fanatics, only worse. Canadians think they are the best in the world, but the Soviets are getting better. This hockey series they just finished lasted eight games, and it was very competitive. People think it’s a contest between democracy and communism.

For a while Canada was down three games to one and the whole country was panicking. Then the team came back and won the last three games. That goal you saw on the television in Montreal was the winning goal of the series. Everybody is rejoicing.

How auspicious, I thought, as I fell asleep later that night. My first day in Canada, September 28, 1972, is also a day of national celebration.¹

The following day started early. Rajiv helped me find a boarding house where I rented a room for $70 a month, half board included. This fit well within the $230 monthly budget that my scholarship allowed for living expenses. The next day we took the bus to the University of Saskatchewan campus where I met the professor who was going to supervise my studies. Together we reviewed the coursework and research required for a Master of Chemical Engineering degree. He confirmed that my proposed thesis met the conditions of the scholarship that Esso had offered me — it had to be about one of their projects.

With that settled, I began the difficult task of trying to make my way in this new land with its unfamiliar culture and increasingly cold weather. Simple tasks such as grocery shopping or taking a bus were full of challenges and stress as everything was unfamiliar — the money, the small talk, the idioms — everything. To cope, I tried to look upon every incident, no matter how small, as a learning opportunity. However, it soon became clear that this learning was often going to be accompanied by embarrassment and discouragement.

I had always thought that I spoke excellent English — after all, my schooling had been entirely in English. But to my astonishment, I soon realized that the only people who understood me in Canada were the other Indian students. My professors and the Canadian students would either ask me to repeat the most common words and sentences or make body gestures such as turning their ears towards me, all the while looking dazed. Sometimes they tried to be polite and, rather than ask me to repeat myself, simply guessed at what I was saying. However, their responses betrayed the truth. Finally, someone sat down with me and kindly explained that Canadians found my manner of speaking — my accent and pronunciation, my pauses and intonation, and my emphasis on different syllables — to be weird. He suggested that I speak more slowly and pronounce each word clearly and distinctly.