After 31 Years...

Something incredible happened in December which I’m only sharing now. It was one of the most special series of moments in my life and no, it has nothing to do with football, nothing. So when I decided to move to India and people would ask me, “Why?” I would have 3 reasons for them:
1. To support the growth of soccer in India

2. To experience Indian culture firsthand

3. To have my parents spend more time in their country of birth

During my previous visits, I was blown away with the positive impact that I received by visiting the villages my Mom & Dad used to live in, meeting their old friends from their respective villages and just being around communities who are more interested in togetherness  than upward mobility. I was clear that if both my Mom & Dad visited India together again after 31 years of being away, it would be a magical experience for all involved. My intuition was accurate.

My parents returned to India towards the end of November and stayed here for a month and a half. As you can imagine, so much happened during that period of time so I will have to revert to the list format to make sure I don’t miss out on sharing anything. In no particular order, here is a list of 10 extra special highlights from when my parents were recently in India:

1. The day my Dad, Cousin and I took an auto through old town Baroda so my Dad could show me his old school and the places he used to hang out as a child; I saw his old football pitch he used to play on back in 1949

2. Sitting with my Father’s best friend, Raju Uncle, in his old town Baroda home and Raju Uncle surprising my Father by pulling out an old engineering school drawing my Father had created in college back in 1964. Raju Uncle had kept it in his house for the last 47 years waiting for that moment to surprise my Father. Was well worth the wait

3. Attending my cousin’s wedding in Ahmedabad and seeing my parent’s dance together in India for the first time since their wedding in 1971

4. Having the special opportunity to show my parents SGVP Gurukul school which serves my spiritual and educational home away from home

5. Greeting my parents at Delhi airport and seeing how young they looked

6. Surprising my parents by taking them to Varanasi for the 40th anniversary and celebrating by participating in a sunset aarti on the Ganges river

7. Spending my Dad’s 69th birthday at the home of one of my best friends in India

8. Taking my parents on the “Neel Shah Delhi Experience Tour” which included a visit to the soccer program I’ve been working on, lunch at Sukkhi & Tulikas, Chattarpur Temple, guided meditation, Zorba the Buddha, Haus Khas Village and finally back home to rest.

9. Visiting the Taj Mahal which is something my Mother has always dreamed of

10. Having my parents attend and serve as “special guests” at the 1 year Anniversary party for Libero Sports India

My Dad said something that I will never forget. He said that the whole time he was in India, his aches and pains all went away. It validated what I always knew to be true. I know that this place is special and that my Parents will make a home for themselves here…again.