Our Canadian Journey
By Gokul C Sarma, P.Eng.

In 1976, I was awarded a World Bank scholarship to pursue graduate studies at Syracuse University in the state of New York, United States. By 1980, I had completed a master's of Science and a post master's of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and had started to work with Westinghouse in upstate New York under H1 status. In the same year, my wife Deeptee and I were blessed with the birth of our first child; a baby boy named Onirik. Years were passing quickly, and we started looking for a new place to settle down, raise a family and continue building dream career paths. This resulted in landed status for me and my family in Canada

Soon after our arrival, I was given the opportunity to interview with the telecom giant Nortel Networks. Little did I know that the questioning would take over two hours in length! It was worth it. Soon after, I was offered a job in the Value Engineering department conditional upon the retrieval of a Professional Engineering (P. Eng.) status in Canada. The Professional Engineering Association of Ontario assessed my eligibility, and informed me that I needed to complete nine papers to be considered a Professional Engineer. Nine papers? It was surprising to me that in spite of two graduate degrees from the United States, I still had so much paperwork to complete in order to receive a P. Eng status in Canada. After much discussion, the Professional Engineering Association of Ontario reassessed the situation and asked me to write only a single paper in addition to the mandatory ethics and contract law documents. It was great news for me, but unfortunately the news was delivered a little too late. Nortel had made their decision before the results of the assessment were released, and I lost a dream job opportunity.

I continued to look ahead even though life was hard and money was tight. We moved in with my sister and her family in Brampton, Ontario. They had kindly provided us with shelter, food and emotional support through our rough start. Deeptee and I did the best we could to support each other and our son Onirik, but each effort for a new career was met with failure. When things could not get any worse, we were faced with difficulties to get a job as per my education and experience in Canada. On the odd occasion when I did receive an interview, all employers made the same dreaded comment - that I "lack Canadian experience".

At times like these, we thought of going back to India; to our beautiful state of Assam, to our tea gardens and rolling hills, to our families and friends. Deeptee and I had been brought up in educated, well-respected families and we both had the capability to succeed in professional careers with our knowledge and persistence. Why was it then that we were falling behind in the race?

I could not leave Canada without knowing the answer. I could not accept defeat. I had travelled so far and worked so hard, and I refused to believe that none of the efforts would bear a value in the story of my life in Canada. I thought of my parents and grandparents and their own stories of the last century, demonstrating their honourable values, discipline, motivation, ambition and hard work. I wanted those things from my story; for my children and my children's children to hear one day.

I could see the top of the mountain, but it was an uphill climb. I started working from the ground by finding jobs from companies that no one had heard of, but helped support my wife and growing son. I was thankful. A few months later, my wife and I found our first rental apartment near my sister's house in Brampton. Things were changing and we were excited.

Everything was being packed up when suddenly, on the Friday before the move, I was informed that I had lost my odd job. In my pocket was a single meagre $10 bill. I looked at it, and then looked at Deeptee. I was at a loss.

"Gokul," she said encouragingly, "I know we have no money, or stable and deserved job, but we cannot continue letting someone support us. We need our independence. Let us move as planned and take this challenge, otherwise all three of us will have no future."

She was right. We moved to the apartment without jobs and money

Deeptee ended up getting a job at a mailing company, while I continued to look for a professional job. (But always in the back of my mind that I may too lose my professional career similar to thousand of professional immigrants in Canada). Not only did she continue to support us with her income, but by the end, she knew an unimaginable (almost incredible) number of postal codes as well! Finally, with help from an employment agency, I received a professional job offer from Davidson Rubber, and we moved to Port Hope, Ontario in 1985.

Three years of struggling in Canada had passed, and the days were looking sunnier. By 1987, we had our first daughter Debi, and had purchased our very first house. When I never thought it would be possible again, Nortel Networks offered me a Project Engineering position on the basis of my earlier interview, and a second interview that I had taken more recently. I gladly accepted and we moved back to Brampton. My youngest daughter Daani was born just a year after Debi, and was a happy little addition to our family.

At Nortel, I worked five years in Manufacturing until the company started to decline, and I was moved to Research and Development, where I later became the Project Manager.

While working at Nortel, Deeptee and I realized that in a country like Canada, with three growing children, we needed another income. However, in order to obtain a professional career, Deeptee needed to complete the education that she had initiated back in Syracuse. She had always wanted to complete a master's degree in Library and Information Science, and now that I had a steady job, it was Deeptee's turn to build her own dream.

Despite her master's degree in Philosophy from India, and her enrolment in a graduate program in the United States many years prior, Deeptee faced challenges to get admission into a Canadian university. We worked hard to find a way in, and managed to retrieve excellent recommendations from her previous faculty professors. All of the work paid off, and finally, Deeptee got an admission into the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. We moved yet again; this time into a small two-bedroom apartment near the university.

We made many sacrifices at that time for Deeptee's education. I drove everyday from London to Brampton (550 kilometres both ways), and often left early in the morning and came home late at night. Heavy snowfall in the winter often made the commute treacherous and stressful. With two small girls aged 3 and 4 and an 11-year-old son, Deeptee worked exceptionally hard as a mother and a student, sometimes staying up until 3 am to complete her assignments, after making dinner and putting the kids to bed.

Although unfortunate that Nortel was closed in 1999, I am truly grateful for the experience. My time there was one of many important professional achievements, including the President Award of Excellence for my contribution in the areas of cost and quality, and I was cited for my achievement in co-ordinating export to Japan with Zero defect.

As my time with Nortel Networks came to a close, my mind started to seek a new adventure yet again.

In my early years back in Assam, I had acquired a considerable amount of knowledge on tea technology, and in fact used to teach it at a university level. Teaching 'Tea' had been a long-forgotten passion of mine, so during the final days of Nortel, I thought about fulfilling another chapter of my life. Literally. Information on tea technology had been left untouched in my mind for years, and was ready to be dusted-off and shared. In the year 2000, I wrote and published a book entitled Tea Technology, thanks to the persistent support of friends in India and Canada. The first edition of the book completely sold out, and I am currently working to publish a second edition. In 2008, the book was used as the main textbook for a Tea Technology course at George Brown College in Toronto. I was even given the opportunity to present a few lectures at the school, just as in my glory days back in Assam.

While the first edition of the book was being completed, I worked for short period with another telecom company called AT&T Canada, and then started a business venture with a partner. I had high hopes for the new company, but unfortunately lost my investment due to a poor choice in partnership. If anything, it was a learning experience. I was naïve about the self-started business world then, but have grown exponentially (in terms of knowledge, strength and motivation), since taking those risks.

After the business venture, I volunteered with a company called Powersonic Industries to keep myself busy and stay healthy during a period of unemployment. By demonstrating my hard work and strategic thinking, I was later granted the responsibility of a General Manager of Powersonic, which I continued until the end of 2008.

Currently, I am trying to develop a consulting company called 'Professional Engineering Co.' (PEC). My dream is that this company will create opportunities for professional engineers who immigrate to Canada, as I had done many years before. If I can help one such person to build his/her career in Canada, it will fulfil some of my deepest aspirations. Our family has gone through many struggles in our times since we left India, but I know that my children can only gain from what we have endured. My eldest son Onirik has completed his law degree, and my two daughters, Debi and Daani, are studying science at the University of Waterloo. As she had hoped, my wife is now in a professional career as Manager of Library and Information Resources at Bayer Inc.

This is our short true story of Our Journey to Canada - a story of struggle, challenge and remarkable achievements!