Dr. Krishnamoorthy Subramanian arrived in Boston on Sept 6, 1972 after landing in New York and taking a Greyhound bus to Boston. He had received admission to MIT for his graduate work and came carrying the address of MIT in his pocket. “When the taxi driver dropped me on that fall evening after sunset at the main building of MIT (77 Mass Ave) with my luggage in hand I had no idea where to go next” says Subbu (as he is known to his friends). Another Indian student who saw him, asked “What are you doing?” to which he answered “I have come to study at MIT”. ”Yes” said the stranger, “but what are you doing here?” He repeated the answer that he had come to study at MIT. The stranger, realizing that this newcomer may not have a place to stay, took him to his apartment where he stayed for a couple of days before finding an apartment of his own. Now after forty five years, he laughs at that answer he gave on his first day.
Dr.Subbu remembers that the following year when he moved to a house on Harvard Street in Cambridge with four bedrooms he realized that this house has been occupied by many Indian students for a long time. It had become a “clearinghouse” for all the newcomers from India where they can be helped to find a place to stay or any other help they may need. “There was only one Indian restaurant in Central Square in Cambridge at that time called “Nataraj” and it was funny that the manager of the restaurant will join Subbu and his friends for dinner – in their home – after closing the restaurant. Subbu met Durga who had come to Northeastern University in 1975 as a doctoral student in Chemistry. “We met as friends first and then the friendship turned into something more” recollects Dr.Subbu. They are now happily married for 37 years. Their son Ganesh lives with his wife Jessica and their daughter Asha in the Bay Area, CA.
Subbu became active with Sangam (MIT’s Indian Student Organization that had become an important part of the Indian community in the surrounding areas) since 1973 and served as the President in the year 1976. “It was only natural since every one living in the 189 Harvard St. apartment have been serving Sangam for many years. It was almost a rite of passage! We were showing Indian movies every week. We would pick up the movie on Friday night from Greyhound bus station, on Saturday we will splice and edit for viewing. We were usually invited by some local Indian family for dinner on Saturday night. Then on Sunday we will set up everything from 1pm and to screen the movie at 3pm for the eager audience. These movies and other events organized by Sangam were also rare social events for many Indian families at that time. Many connections made at that time and in those events have endured to become decades long family friendships and an immigrant fabric for many who now live in the Boston area and across the nation.”
“We used to organize picnics for the students and the community as part of Sangam activities. Once we decided to stretch our resources and plan a picnic in a faraway place in New Hampshire. We pulled some money to rent a car to check out and select a place. We gave the money to one of the fellow students to pick a place and mark it in a map. When we all loaded up about 20 to 30 cars and went looking for the picnic spot, the place was not to be found. One never knows for sure what really happened? But everyone was getting upset not knowing where to go while lining up on the highway on Rte 93. I took the matters in my hands and went around to solve the problem. Luckily we found a place that looked nice enough to enjoy the picnic and pretended that this was the place we had in mind all along! Now I know that the place I chose is Echo Lake in New Hampshire but none of us knew it at that time!” These and other similar events taught me a lot of management skills that came in handy in my career later on” Dr.Subbu comments who is the author of two books with a very successful professional career. He continues his professional efforts through the STIMS Institute www.STIMSInstitute.com
Dr. Subbu hastens to remind everyone that all that those who came in the 60s to 80s to study and make a professional career is an example of success through American dream. He also believes that this generation of Indians succeeded thanks to a “can do” attitude and the values imbibed into them in India during their early years. Dr. Subbu cautions that his generation has a special role to share and transmit these immigrant values to the younger generations. He blogs on the basics of Vedic philosophy and their application in daily life at www.Sipractce.wordpress.com
Adapted from the book: Indian Americans of MA by Meenal Pandya; Publisher: The History Press/Arcadia Publishing.
MIT Sangam Reunion 