“I grew up in Kota, Rajasthan, India, and lived 25 years there. I came to the U.S. in 1988 and have lived here since. I am Sikh, a religion that has three tenets: remembering God, honest living, and sharing with others less fortunate. Those have certainly influenced me. The tenets come from my family, and we believe they are not just ‘read’ but are also supposed to be lived. What you have needs to be gained appropriately. Not just remembering God, but also doing the things God wants us to do, such as sharing your earnings, expertise, and time. Sikhism is the law of nature, and it does not differentiate people. It is universal. I was blessed to grow up in a family that practiced it. These tenets are a part of my life. I founded Optimal Solutions Integration, and I ingrained the tenets into the company. I wanted my company to represent them. I also founded Beyond Borders, which works to help people across borders. We work globally with anybody who needs help, whether it is in education, healthcare, special needs, etc. My cultural background did help me become the person I am today. It’s just ingrained in me. I have lived in the U.S. longer than in India, but the cultural values I had growing up built my beliefs.”
