Suitcase: A True and Inspiring Immigrant American Dream Story Memoir

By D. N. Chadha

The memoir of an ordinary man . I am not a rich businessman or famous celebrity but an ordinary man who came to America with only a Suitcase.My story is the story of all Immigrants who came to America with only a suitcase ...and some Extraordinary dreams .You have a desire and goals to succeed in your car

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oxford Book Writers
• Release date: Jul 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088216248

Book preview

.

paperback(_Innerpages_-_Chadha_)_rev_1Paul HendricksH302023-06-28T17:27:00Z2023-06-28T17:27:00Z2023-06-28T17:27:00Z27147196269019Aspose224163131558416.0000

Suitcase

Memoir

An Immigrant American Dream Story

The True Immigrant Success Story of an Ordinary Man Who Landed in The United States of America with Only a Suitcase… And Some Extraordinary Dreams.

D.N. Chadha M. A.

Copyright © Dwarka (D.N.) Chadha 2023

All Rights Reserved

Dedications

To my grandmother Bhabi Jee, Mrs. Mela Devi Kohli, who had raised me, sacrificed and devoted her life for sixteen years so that I can be educated and become successful in my life. I graduated with a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Delhi University.

To my great grandfather, Lala Amar Nath Anand, who had inspired me to face and adapt to life in all the changing circumstances.

To my family, my wife Priya and daughters Sabina and Mona, who are the cause and effect of my pursuit of the American Dream and their hard work, confidence and vision have led to success in their careers. They have achieved several milestones in life, and this is also a part of my Success Story in this book.

To my brother Vijay Kumar Chadha, who passed away at the age of 25. Vijay was a promising lawyer.

To my father, Mr. Suraj Prakash Chadha and my mother, Shanti Devi Chadha, who always supported me and advised me to do Good Karmas –Right Actions in life.

To my mother-in-law Parsini Devi, Brother-in law Om Prakash Malhotra, my sister Vinod Kohli, Brother-in-law, J.R.Kohli and Uncles Ved Prakash Chadha, Chander Prakash Chadha and grandfather Mulkh Raj Chadha who had supported and helped me to achieve my goals in life.

To all the immigrants who had the courage to come to the United States of America and all over the world with only a Suitcase ….and some extraordinary dreams.

Acknowledgments

First of all, I want to thank my family and friends in India and in the United States who have supported, inspired, and helped me on the path to success. Special thanks to Priya, my wife and my Daughters, Sabina and Mona, for their unconditional support, love, inspiration and dedication to completing the manuscript of Suitcase / An Immigrant American Dream Story.

I want to acknowledge the institution of my studies, schools, colleges, and universities where I received my education: Ramjas Higher Secondary School #5, Birla Higher Secondary School, Ramjas College, Delhi University, Post Graduate (Evening) Studies and K.M. College, Delhi University, India. I respectfully acknowledge the contribution of my school teachers and professors at Delhi University. I was a student of my Master of Arts degree in English Literature at K.M.Collge, and Dr. Sarup Singh, Principal, Vice Chancellor, Delhi University, Member of Raya Sabha and Governors of Kerala and Gujrat had guided and inspired me and also appointed me as a Representative to the United Nation’s Students Union, Delhi University in 1963. Dr. Sarup Singh did his Ph.D. in English Literature from Oxford University, England, in 1953.

My career in pharmaceutical selling started in 1963 when I got my first job in pharmaceutical sales with Organon (India ) Limited. My mentor was the Late Mr. R.N.Chadha, and I was supported by Mr. P.Gupta, who was the Managing Director of the Company. I want to thank several individuals, who made a difference in my sales career, Alan Cohen, Bob Grossman, Dick O’Garr of Organon Inc, Walter Schmid and Tom Browning of Lyphomed Pharmaceuticals, Fujisawa Pharmaceutical Company, Andrew Travers of Alza Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson, Jim Boland of Nitromed Pharmaceuticals, Craig Norton of  King Pharmaceuticals and Dan Nicastro of Eurand/Innovex Pharmaceuticals. I want to thank pharmaceutical sales representatives and other business associates who have worked with me in several pharmaceutical companies.

Grannum Sant M.D for his support and several other physicians, nurses and pharmacists in the hospitals and physician offices, who were my customers.

Surinder N Chadha, who has been my friend for the last 60 years and he, has helped, supported and guided me to settle in the United States of America.

Many of our friends who have helped and started our journey together in the U.S.A: Pushpa and Roshan  Aggarwal, Pradip and Roopa Shah, Dhanbir and Ravi Nayyar, Prem and Dr. Raj Goyal, Dr. Neelan and Balbir Sihag, Dr. Prabhat and Neena Sehgal, Dr. Shanker and Asha Garg, Surinder and Asha Singh, Dr. Yogesh and Dr. Shyma Dayal, Sadhana and Trivani Updhya, Chander and Oni Kapasi, Padma and Deepak Agarwal, Krishna and Dr. Pandey, Carol and Dr. Sahdev Passey, Dr. Birjinder and Dr. Devinder Singh, Dr. Gurmider and Maninder Singh, Dr. Dinesh and Suman Goel, Kidar and Kanta Vaid, M.R.Mathur and Kanta Mathur, KumKum Mathur and Dolly Raja, Gopal and Anju Mehra.

Special thanks to Vikas Kohli, Vani Kohli Handa and Amit Handa, Naresh, Ashok, and Pradip Bhasin, Jagdish and Dr. Janak Chopra, Neeru and Sunny Ailawadi, Monika and Vinay, Sanjay and Sudha Anand, Surjeet and Dinesh Khanna, Suniti and Ashu Wadwa, Namrata Bhandari, Sahil and Parveen Chadha. All of you have played a significant role in my life. I am grateful to you.

Thanks to Sushil Bhatia, Ph.D., M.B.A, Professor & Executive Residence Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, for his expert advice and support. Dr. B.M.Singh, Professor and former University Senator from the University of Chandigarh, India, for his advice and editorial assistance; a Big Thank You.

Many thanks to Poonam Gupta for her advice and editorial expertise.

Many thanks to all my associates at the India Association of  Greater Boston when I was the President of  I.A.G.B. in 1984-85

Thanks to all the members and executive members of Hopkinton Lions Club, Mike Tarsi, President. We Serve. I am the First Vice President of the Hopkinton Lions Club.

A very special thank you to Dr. Harte Weiner, Cambridge Editors 291 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 2139., who has guided and for her editorial and literary knowledge.

Maryann Karinch, my literary agent, helped shape the manuscript and has written the Proposal of the manuscript.

Special Thanks to Mr. Luke Boseman  , Clyde Smith and special teams of Book Writing U.S.A. for Editing, Formatting, Cover Design, Distribution  ,Meta and Marketing of the book.  .

Contents

Dedications

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter 1 – Childhood Recollections

Chapter 2 – Train to Amritsar

Chapter 3 – Silver Lining

Chapter 4 – Happy Days

Chapter 5 – The Green Card

Chapter 6 – On the Shores of America

Chapter 7 – At Home in Boston

Chapter 8 – First Trip to India

Chapter 9 – Our Own Paradise

Chapter 10 – My Daughters in School

Chapter 11 – Social Responsibility

Chapter 12 – Ascent in Professional Careers

Chapter 13 – Acquired US Citizenship

Chapter 14 – Trip to Europe

Chapter 15 – Higher Education of my daughters

Chapter 16 – Tenacity in Adversity: Landing New Jobs

Chapter 17 – Transition to Second Career

Chapter 18 - Passion for Politics

Chapter 19 – Globalization

Chapter 20 – Serving the Humanity

Chapter 21 – Realizing the American Dream

Preface

Suitcase/An Immigrant American Dream Story is my memoir. I shared an incredible, courageous story about my grandmother. She hired the military to rescue my family and me from the village of Shinewala in West Pakistan during the partition in 1947. My family had to leave with no possessions, little money, or gold. We had to take a very risky and bloody train to Amritsar, India. There were ongoing murders, rape, lootings, and houses on fire in Pakistan and India.

My great-grandfather, Lala Jee, led a comfortable and luxurious life before the partition but under the dark shadow of British rule. Lala Jee opened his suitcase with his keys and took gold and silver, which he carried from the village Shinewala in West Pakistan during the partition. He sold gold in exchange for money to get his life started in India from ground zero. My family was homeless, and their lives transformed from being very wealthy to poverty after the partition. We had a new name; we were called refugees. All the displaced persons coming from West Pakistan after the partition were known as refugees.

My grandmother raised me, sacrificed, and devoted her life so that I was educated and became successful in my life. I graduated with a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Delhi University in 1963. I got a letter in the mail from the American Embassy in India that my immigrant Visa-Green Card was approved in 1969. I decided to move to the United States of America on March 14, 1970. I went from India to JFK airport with nothing more than a suitcase and six hundred dollars and dreams.

Today, with an amazing career behind me—Pharmaceutical Sales Executive, an author and speaker, and a new career unfolding—I can document a path to success that any other immigrant will appreciate.

Not knowing how to drive a car. Not knowing more than one person on arrival. Not knowing where to live. These are the serious and, paradoxically, funny issues I had to manage, and they are the issues that will resonate with immigrant readers, especially the roughly one million who become naturalized citizens each year. In 2019, 44.9 million immigrants (foreign-born individuals) comprised 14 percent of the national population, and over half of all immigrants in the United States are naturalized citizens, as reported in the American Immigration Council Fact Sheet report. Many are well-educated and extremely dedicated to achieving success in their new homeland.

Suitcase is my true and inspiring immigrant success story, but it’s also the foundation for the winning story of my two daughters—one of whom was an infant in 1970 when I left her and my young wife to create a new home for us in the United States.

I wrote Suitcase for a specific purpose. The essential elements I use in the book are the core to success in these challenging times of economic downturn—or at any time. If you have gone through the anguish of layoffs, downsizing, and job cuts, my story resembles yours in the range of experiences that might have come your way. I will also show you ways to beat the odds so you can thrive amidst chaos.

Students just beginning to shape their opinions about diversity in their schools and communities will also get a great deal out of this book. The insights it provides aim to assimilate while retaining ethnic roots. High Schools wanting to introduce students to immigration and diversity in a very positive way could make Suitcase/An Immigrant Dream Story recommended reading or even use it as a text to build a discussion of diversity and immigration.

Suitcase is an inspiring journey of a man who landed in the United States of America with only a suitcase…….and some extraordinary dreams. I landed a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative to become the Director of Sales and Regional Sales Director to lead the sales teams to generate revenues of more than 100 million. A Japanese pharmaceutical company acquired this company for one billion.

I bought my home within 5 years of my arrival in the United States. I raised my two daughters to acquire higher education, which led them to get the professional jobs of Executive Vice-president Sales and Marketing and Director of Marketing. I assumed social responsibility as President to lead the India Association of Greater Boston from 1984-1985. I invited Governor Mike Dukakis and Congressman Barney Frank to India Republic Day and India Independence Day celebrations.

I have a passion for politics. I campaigned for President Barrack Obama, Governor Deval Patrick, Elizabeth Warren for Senate in Massachusetts, Senator John Kerry for President, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton for President Ed Markie for Senate, and Joe Biden /Kamla Harris in 2020.

Finally, I was determined to live the American Dream by achieving the milestones in my life through sheer urgency, hard work, passion, focus, and ambition.

I am extending my American Dream story to three important Chapters: Globalization, Serving Humanity, and Realizing the American Dream to address the issues of saving Democracy, Voting Rights, Bipartisanship, Diversity, Racism, Back Lives Matters, Climate Change, Covid-19, Economy, Gun Control, LGBT, Gay Rights, Women Rights, Feeding the poor and Hungry, serving the World Community and Ukraine Russia war. I have actively promoted my views on the above-mentioned topics on social media, Facebook, and Twitter. I have served the community as the first Vice President of Hopkinton Lions Club since 2019.

American Dream Story is not complete without asking these three questions in addition to your successful career, family responsibilities, leadership roles, achievements, and financial wealth.

What can I do for my country?

What can I do to help the poor, hungry, and sick?

What can I do for the World Community?

I shall continue my best efforts to serve my family, community, country, and global community.

The American Dream is still very much alive. Everyone can achieve the American Dream if they want to chase it. My story is a true immigrant Success story, which is evidence that you can make it a success in the United States, even if you arrive with only a Suitcas

paperback(_Innerpages_-_Chadha_)_rev_1Paul HendricksH302023-06-28T17:27:00Z2023-06-28T17:27:00Z2023-06-28T17:27:00Z27147196269019Aspose224163131558416.0000

Chapter 1 – Childhood Recollections

I was born in Gujranwala on September 20, 1941. Gujranwala was founded by a pastoral person called Gurjar. It is the birthplace of the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh. It remained his capital until he occupied Lahore in 1799. I was raised and brought up by my grandmother, whom we used to call Bhabhi Jee, and her name was Mela Devi. Bhabhi Jee was a very dominating woman with courage and guts. Sumitra was her eldest daughter. She passed away after childbirth to a baby daughter called Kamla. So, grandmother had a very tragic and challenging time in her life. My grandmother took charge of her life despite all the problems. She lived in a big house with her brother-in-law in Gujranwala, part of India, later called West Pakistan after the Partition.

My grandmother named me Dwarka, the holy name after the capital, where Lord Krishna was the king. My great-grandfather's name was Lala Amar Nath Anand. He was a landlord and owned a large farmhouse in the village called Shiniwala. We called him Lala Jee. He lived in the village and, at times, in Gujranwala City. My grandmother negotiated a deal with my great-grandfather that she would marry her daughter in the village provided he would build her a house in Gujranwala, where she lived. Gujranwala was approximately 25 miles from the village of Shiniwala.

Lala Jee always had the best horse in the region, which he would buy from the horse shows. His horse was his pride. He had a coach with the coachman, whose name was Shukara. The coach had seats accommodating 4-6 persons with very comfortable cushions and pillows. Lala Jee lived a luxurious life with servants, cooks, and a large family of brothers, nephews, nieces, and daughters-in-law. Lala Jee used to ride his horse every morning. People in the village always liked Lala Jee, especially when he was riding his horse in the morning and evening near the banks of the river flowing through his lush green farmland.

Lala Jee was a tall, well-built man with broad shoulders, weighing over two hundred pounds. His complexion was somewhat dark. He often talked to everyone about maintaining good health with vigorous exercise and a good diet. Lala Jee inherited property, farmland, homes, and money from his great-uncle, who did not have his family. So, his wealth was passed on to Lala Jee and his two brothers. Lala Jee was also called the Zamindar, the landlord in the Hindi language. Lala Jee had the tragic loss of his two sons and three daughters. He accepted the destiny and the will of God. My father and uncle were his grandsons, and he started living his life with my father and uncle.

There were a few extraordinary aristocratic ways Lala jee would live his life. He would not ask his servant to do any other work on the farm or household chores because he wanted that particular servant to massage him so that