Who really is Raj? Lost in translation
At the Young Apeldoorn conference another part of me was exposed, to myself. My background ! Having spent (almost) 1/3rds of my life in Kuwait, India and then the UK. I feel I’m blessed to be able to see things from a different eye. Although often the question ‘who are you Indian, Kuwaiti or British’ comes up ?
Raj Anand
As I mentioned to my group at the conference. I eat Sunday roasts and go to the pub in the evening. My circle of friends are from all over Europe. Although at the same time I speak/read/write 3 Indian languages fluently. But yes I was born and brought up in Kuwait. Hang on! so who am I. This is not really a question for people who really know me, they understand that I’m a complex mix of cultures. Although this is only uncomfortable when someone asks the question “You seem to have an accent but I can’t really place it!”. At that point I start with this long story about where I was born and why I moved and why I’m in the UK. Most of them by then had enough and want to move to the next person. Some people find it exotic and start probing me with some really interesting questions.
One of the most interesting questions are “Who would you support in a football game”. So this is my general answer. If England was to play Kuwait. I would support England, because well England has better chances of winning. If Kuwait played India then obviously Kuwait. Although if India played England in cricket I would support India, football it would be other way round ! I almost sound like a win obsessed whore, although this is truly how I feel. It is like the child who has 2 mothers, one who bought him up and the other who gave birth. Both deserve equal appreciation !
The irony of the situation is that none of the countries would really say I belong to them! For India I’m a NRI (Non Resident Indian) hence I’m a cash cow bringing in foreign currency but for that I need to stay outside India. Kuwait I’m an immigrant who does all the hard work but will never be a national ! England I’m a foreign immigrant, the general consensus is that foreigners squeeze locals out of jobs. Although with Kwiqq I (or rather we) have probably added just under a million pounds to the British economy and several full time/part time jobs. Not counting the numerous speeches I give on young entrepreneurship to inspire people around the country, to make a difference.
I would perhaps never know who I really am. But I guess it doesn’t matter or it should not matter ! Really I’m just a technology entrepreneur trying to make a difference and I love what I do.
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