An Opportunity to Pave My Path

I’m sitting on a Jet Airways flight which left Delhi at 2:35am and will get into Brussels, Belgium about 10 hours later.  From there I will board a flight to New York and then another flight to Los Angeles where my older brother, Paras, who I haven’t seen in a year will pick me up and drive me to my childhood home to celebrate with the rest of my family.  Right now I’m feeling full of life, full of energy and ready to create something special.

Over the next 3 weeks I’ll be in Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia meeting with organizations to share the Indian football opportunity.  I recognize that I say this way too often on this blog, however this is a “dream come true.”  Prior to moving to India, all I knew that was that I wanted to contribute to the growth of football in the country. Knowing that the football industry in India was relatively nascent, at the time I was willing to work with any organization in the industry.  Just to do my part to contribute to the growth of the game.  However deep down inside of my heart, I dreamed that I would work with a company who supported my commitment to connect US and India through the sport I love.  I’m now with that company and living that dream.

I feel strongly that you need to live in India to really know football in India. So many people come in and out of the country for the infrequent high moments and never stick around to experience and learn from the low ones.  I feel like I’m one of the lucky ones.  I get to experience the Indian football story firsthand and then share that story with the world.  The real story.  The one my colleagues and I experience playing in tournaments in Gurgaon, watching  rural youth train in Jharkhand and Punjab, being amazed by the tenacity of the young players who flood the Kolkata maidan on a heavy monsoon evening, pushing our calves to the limit while playing with locals on the beaches of Goa, etc… We are the ones who are actually a part of the creation of the story and then we get the opportunity to share it with the world.

And, yes, as the title says this is my opportunity to pave my path. I’m American, I’m Indian and I love football.  I’m clear that I want to bridge the two countries through this great sport and I will stop at nothing to do so.  I’m blessed that I’ve found my calling and that I also found an organization which will support this calling. I know that these next 3 weeks will be full of sharing, learning, creating and living.