'British Asian Refugee' Ram Gidoomal pens memoir

A surprise family party to celebrate his 70th birthday sparked the idea of a memoir in which UK-based Ram Gidoomal charts his journey from being an Indian migrant to a successful entrepreneur

"My Silk Road: The Adventures and Struggles of a British Asian Refugee" has been published by Pippa Rann Books and Media U.K. and distributed in India by Penguin Random House

Born in a migrant Indian family of silk traders that fled British India during Partition, Gidoomal's early life in the coastal Kenyan city of Mombasa seemed charmed with wealth and success

However, losing all of this overnight through second deportation this time from Kenya to the UK, he saw the course of his life change beyond recognition

Despite having had his dreams and plans ripped away from him, Gidoomal worked tirelessly, fighting to overcome every obstacle, and finally succeeded in gaining back wealth and reputation

However, on reaching his late thirties, an unusual day trip in Mumbai changed his life forever, transforming him from someone enriching himself and his shareholders to someone enriching the world. And this time, the change was his choice

Aiming to encourage those who are struggling to move forward in life, Gidoomal shares stories that demonstrate the difference made by a can-do attitude, by a spirit of generosity and by prioritising relationships. Through all these, he shares the secrets of living a life that marries deep compassion with success, a generous life that reaps unexpected rewards.

Starting from scratch, Gidoomal built a successful career in business and was firmly on the road to prosperity and fortune.

The idea for this book sparked on his 70th birthday celebration. It was December 2020 and at the height of the lockdown due to Covid.

"Astounded on seeing a video full of wishes from relatives whom my family had never known or met, I decided drew up a family tree that extends beyond my grandfather's lineage, how the family overcame the challenges of being twice migrants and what it has taken to rebuild our lives, to achieve our former level of prosperity. With each name, memories and stories came flooding back," he says.

The outcome of this exercise is the memoir "The Silk Route"

"Over the course of my life, there were some roads I did not choose, some I did. But whether or not we have chosen the path we're on, we can always choose how we walk it. As for me, I chose to simplify my lifestyle, to find a different road, one which ironically led me to riches of greater worth than I could have imagined

"A road where the obstacles were many but never insurmountable. A road of compassion that left me with a peaceful heart. A road that led me far and wide but took me right where I belonged. My chosen path. My silk road," he writes.

(PTI)