Praise for Engineering a Life
“ Engineering a Life is a story not only of determination and grit but also of hope. Bedi’s indomitable spirit, positive attitude, and work ethic are a joy to read about.”
—Foreword Reviews
“ A remarkable memoir about a young immigrant who becomes a successful engineer in the US after years of hardship . . . Throughout his vivid account, Bedi shows amazing resolve and determination in achieving his dreams. Readers will likely applaud the author as he skillfully narrates his many trials on the road to forging a stable life in his new home. This engrossing and timely book should appeal to anyone wishing to learn more about the immigrant experience in America.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“ Engineering a Life is so many things: a touching and humorous coming-of-age story; a starkly honest and revealing chronicle of colliding cultures; a testament to faith, humanity, and The American Dream. But most of all, it’s a compelling reminder that no matter who you are or what your provenance, life is not a straight path but a labyrinthine maze—and that it isn’t the detours or even the final destination that define us, but how we meet the obstacles and challenges along the way.”
—Grant Jarrett, award-winning author of Ways of Leaving, The House That Made Me, and The Half-Life of Remorse
“ In Engineering a Life, Krishan Bedi describes what will be very familiar to many immigrant families in the United States today: a twisting and turning journey that was never predictable but always rewarding, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. Navigating a course that has left him straddling two cultures, he manages to find his way home with humor, pride, and a deep appreciation for both cultures. Readers will leave this book with a better understanding of both the indignities and triumphs of a life bravely reimagined in another land.”
—Rana Lee Adawi Awdish, MD, FCCP
“ This is the story of a man from a village in India who didn’t know how to drive a car and could barely speak or understand English but was determined to make a career in America as an industrial engineer. It’s a brutally honest voice of the hardships he overcame to attain the American dream. A detailed account of the immigrant experience, this memoir is an inspiration for those who are searching for a chance at a better life and a lesson in perseverance to become American.”
—Anoop Ahuja Judge, award-winning author, blogger, and TV anchor
Engineering A Life
Copyright © 2018 Krishan Bedi
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Published by SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint,
A division of SparkPoint Studio, LLC
Tempe, Arizona, USA, 85281
www.gosparkpress.com
Published 2018
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN: 978-1-943006-43-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-943006-42-7 (e-bk)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017953913
Interior design by Tabitha Lahr
All company and/or product names may be trade names, logos, trademarks, and/or registered trademarks and are the property of their respective owners.
Names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of certain individuals.
This memoir is fondly dedicated to Raj, my lifetime companion, and also to my wonderful sons, their loving wives, and our beautiful grandchildren.
Preface
In 1961, at the age of twenty, I arrived in the United States, landing at the port of New York after three weeks at sea with only $300 in my pocket. Coming from a small village of only 200 people, I had never seen anything like New York City before. I had made it here on sheer faith, staying focused on my goal of an education in the United States. I’d overcome peer pressure to stay in India, lack of funds, the feeling that I was abandoning my family, and so much more just to get here. And now that I was here, I had to make it work. There was no other option but to succeed. I didn’t know what would be waiting for me as I made my way to Tennessee, nor did I anticipate the culture shock of being not just in the United States, but in the South in the 1960s, which is where I spent my early years in the States.
This is a story of succeeding against the odds, and of my perseverance and determination to create the life I’d always dreamed for myself as a little boy in India, where my options seemed anything but limitless. I didn’t know when I started out that my dream would take a much more convoluted path than I could ever imagine. My experience of being an Indian college student in the South at a time when many people did not know much about Indian culture brings a unique perspective to a story that also focuses on following one’s dream and never giving up despite unfavorable circumstances.
Writing my memoir has been a wild experience, a long journey which started approximately eight years ago. After I regaled a colleague with tales from my student life in the 1960s in Tennessee, she exclaimed, “You should write a book!” She nearly died laughing at my stories, and her words planted a seed in the back of my mind that maybe one day I really would write a memoir. A couple of years later, my daughter-in-law listened in awe as I told her some of my stories from my younger days as an Indian going to college in the States and trying to get a date to blend in with the other Americans. “Your experience is very unique,” she told me. “Everything you went through back in the sixties. You should definitely write a book.”
As I began writing down my memories, it amazed me how much I remembered in clear detail about the early years of my life. Not even my closest family members knew some of my experiences or emotions, many of which I had kept to myself because it had been a hard time. It was my way to put on a cheerful face,
