Day (-) 7 of Mentor on Road, USA

The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them.  

Swami Vivekananda

Day (-) 7 of Mentor on Road, USA: Reporting from Camp Abu Dhabi en route to New York for the drive across 24 states, 32 cities covering over 15402 KM(9602 Miles) where I will be meeting people from over 3000 American companies.

I finally completed my presentations yesterday, eighteen in all. I will be presenting those to American start-ups, Small and Medium Scale Businesses, Women-owned businesses and the Indian diaspora. Along with customized presentations for them, I have also made sector-specific presentations.

My bags are packed, with both personal and professional requirements for the 78 days of a memorable road journey in USA. 

Check List

Now would be the right time to thank the team behind Mentor On Road − Nikhil Sheth, Antariksh Parikh, Anmol Modi, Ansh Shah, Ratik Khanna, Krishna Patel, Hemal Solani, Sunil dada, Dharmendra − without whose tireless efforts for six months, this journey would not have been possible.  You are the real stars, the true backbone of this journey. Also, thank you all so much for the surprise airport send off. You have done your part. Now, I will try my best to do mine!

I am lucky that my wife Rupal and I share the same craze for long-distance driving and a risk-taking appetite. She will be my navigator-in-chief for the journey. It will be fun having my son Nisarg, who is pursuing Masters in USA, with me during the journey. I will surely miss my daughter, Monisha, though, who could not join us in this trip due to her internship and our 5^th family member – Theo Shah.

Lastly, I would like to thank the United States Commercial Service – India. I would also like to thank Greg, Jigna, Heidi, Gretchen and the rest of the USA team for their unwavering support. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Start-up India from the Government of India for associating with us. Along with that, I am also grateful to Etihad Airways for being our airline partners and Vibrant Ceramics, our sector partner for their belief in Mentor On Road, USA.

That would be all from my side. Now, I will just relax, listen to some music and watch the debate on CNN. Good night :)

Jai Ho!