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| Affiliation | Independent |
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| Name | Amitabh "Amit" Ghosh |
| Address |
, Michigan , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
July 28, 1959
(64 years)
|
| Contributor | RBH |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Nov 26, 2012 05:26pm |
| Tags |
Indian -
|
| Info | Amit Ghosh was born in Allahabad, India, on the 28th of July 1959. He was the second child, amongst four children, of Dr. Barendranath Ghosh and Mamata Ghosh.
He did his schooling from Christ Church School, the same school to where his father, uncles , aunts and three sisters went. During his school years he was actively involved with Sports, Boy Scouts and Voluntary work with NGOs.
It is said that the values we grow up with makes us the adults of today. Growing up with three sisters and both parents as academicians, Amit strongly believes in respect for women and the power of education.
Coming from a close knit family, Amit has been strongly influenced by his father’s commitment to be focused in life and the firm conviction to follow his dreams. All through his growing years, he has seen how his mother kept the family together no matter how tough it got. Savings were not enough, but education was always given the first priority by both parents. Service before self is what he learnt, which Amit feels, came from his mother , who entertained relatives from far and wide when they stayed over at their residence in Mumbai.
Highlighting incidents that has strongly left a deep impact on him and contributes to what he is today, Amit recalls an incident during his school days :
Unable to pay his school fees on time he had to stay away from class. On one such occasion, he went up to his school principal and said, “ Sir, you will for sure get your money but will I get my lost class back.” He was given permission to attend his class.
Always willing to experience the new and venture into unknown territory, Amit willingly participated in various tournaments and has no regrets for receiving the Loser’s certificate for Boxing in school.
Taking charge of situations and being responsible was something that came naturally to him. One day when, after a fancy dress competition, his dad did not arrive to pick him and his younger sister from school, Amit had a solution. He convinced his sister to walk back home by offering her the incentive of an ice cream. Neither the darkness nor the path bothered him, as they covered a distance of about 25km and reached home safely. A clear indication of a leadership quality ,of taking onus and knowing just what to offer his team player so that the task is accomplished.
A quick learner, Amit not only absorbed book knowledge but like a sponge took in knowledge from all sources , whether it was life situations or experiences, people who came in to his life, scriptures or his boy scout days.
His social activities came to light with his active participation in the Interact Club and Boy Scouts. A true Boy Scout, till date honesty, integrity and simplicity have remained an integral part of him.
His innate, compassionate nature came to the fore during the days when he did voluntary work with the NGO Ashadaan(a home for the aged ) and The Shelter( a home for the orphans). It was during one of his visits to Ashadaan that he got the opportunity to meet up with Mother Theresa in person. Her dedication and work etched a deep impact on him. When Mother Theresa would bring in the dying and homeless from the street to her home to give them peace, and allow them to breathe their last with dignity,he realized the importance of dignity in death.
His compassionate nature also extends to his love for dogs which goes back to the day when he went to pick up his first pet , an Alsatian puppy, from his friend’s place. He was in the sixth grade, but that did not deter him from walking the entire distance back home from his friends place ,only because the public bus service would not let him travel with a pup in his arms. Today too, he firmly believes that a family is complete with the presence of a pet.
It was in the last year of his school in 1976, that the American dream first flashed across his mind. An exhibition in school to celebrate 200 years years of independence, exposed Amit to the research on America. That was when Amit gained a lot of information on America and read a lot about Abraham Lincoln. The dream had begun to form in young Amit’s mind.
Greatly influenced by Lincoln, Amit connects to Lincoln’s quote - “Upon the subject of education … I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people may be engaged in.” - Abraham Lincoln.
Young Amit stepped into Ramnarain Ruia College,(affiliated to the University of Bombay) to do his graduation in chemistry. The college years were equally challenging. Being a lover of nature and trekking his favorite sport ,Amit started organizing hikes and treks to the fascinating Western Ghats, mountain ranges in Maharashtra. Being a certified mountaineer from the Himalayan Institute Of Mountaineering helped . Amit draws great satisfaction from hiking and climbing mountains.
Comparing it to life, Amit says,
“Climbing a mountain has taught me a lot. If the path is rough, one needs to adapt other means of reaching the top. So is the case with life, an alternate is always there, if I care to look. Tougher the path, greater is the joy and satisfaction when I reach the top The mountain stands tall and radiant in spite of extreme weather conditions and erosions, this only teaches me to be more tolerant and I always remember - no matter what, this phase will pass and I will stand firm and rooted to my grounds once again.”
The enterprising side of Amit came to the fore front with his launching the campus newsletter – Campus Call. His popularity and leadership skills also helped him to be elected as the class representative.
Though extra curricular activities were demanding, not once did he lose sight of his final goal – pursuing his further studies in the United States Of America.
Irrespective of his demanding academic responsibilities, he continued to fund his own dream by giving private tuitions to school and under grad students. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Amit pursued his post -graduation from the Institute of Science, where he did his parents proud by ranking first in the University of Bombay, in Physical Chemistry.
The fall of 1984 saw Amit stepping onto American soil for the very first time. He clearly recalls the first moment he arrived at Bowling Green University, meeting up with his room mate, Shantanu Naranyan (Present CEO-ADOBE) ,finding an apartment and walking the distance on cold winter mornings. The people’s person that he is, the following year he began helping incoming students from India in booking their apartments closer to the campus and had home cooked food ready for them, just so that they felt comfortable.
Always the one to speak up for what he felt is right, he never took a step back for the fear of what the consequences of his actions or words would be. During his research studies, Amit did not take kindly to a derogatory remark made by his professor. This did affect the relations with his immediate guide, but he stood by his belief in what he felt is right.
Holding strongly to the belief in being ethical and a man of principles , he began his professional life in a small private laboratory. The job did not last long and he moved on to another job. His decision to switch from chemistry to computers led him to take up a corporate job which took him away from home during the week but was there with the family during weekends.
Amit married Indira in May 1988. She was also a student in Bowling green University. They met and fell in love. They have three lovely children, a daughter Aparna, and two sons Adarsh and Ananth.
Aparna is pursuing her graduate studies at the University of Michigan, Adarsh is a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy and Ananth, the youngest is in middle school.
Amit’s source of inspiration ranges from parents, teachers to spiritual leaders like Swami Vivekanand , Mother Theresa and political leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi. They have inspired him to imbibe values like service before self, willingness to help, importance of family ties, value for money, compassion for the old and under-privileged, respect for every religion ,standing up for what is right without fear and simple living.
Every learner is a keen observer and Amit is one too. Ever since he first stepped on American soil in 1984, Amit has been closely following the political scenario here.
His American dream now a reality, Amit’s American exposure for more than two decades now, is an enriching experience.
Just like his father gave up a highly paid corporate job in Kolkata to pursue a teaching profession at UDCT(University Department Of Chemical Technology) Mumbai, something he was so passionate about, Amit too has given up his corporate job to pursue dreams closer to his heart.
America- The land that gave him opportunities to pursue his dreams, it is this same land that he wishes to give back, in more ways than one.
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