Lokvani Talks To Mool Raj And Kanti Mathur

â€œ80 years youngâ€ is how Mr. Mool Raj Mathur likes to introduce himself. A metallurgist by training Mathur Saab, as he is referred to, specialized in the area of high temperature ceramics. A very active member of the Indian American community, he was the founding member of many associations including the Hindu Society in Raleigh North Carolina and the United India Association in New England.

The Mathurs spoke to Lokvani about life experiences they have gained during 50 years of stay in the United States.

Could you both tell us about your ancestry and your early years in India?

Mool Raj: Our ancestry can be traced back to it to Radhey Lal who was employed in the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar. His son Rai Sahib Raja Lal was a Civil Engineer who was from the first batch of engineers from Roorkee Engineering College. Since then, engineering has been a preferred profession in our family. My father, also a Roorkee graduate retired as superintending engineer.

I was one of the youngest graduates of Delhi University getting my B. Sc degree at the age of 16. During my college days I was very active in the Quit India movement. At that time we were blessed to work under the leadership of people like Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. I was lucky and barely escaped getting arrested despite being quite an anarchist.

With independence came a great euphoria. I turned my attention to a career in engineering. I enrolled in the Chemical Engineering Diploma program at Delhi University. I was also a star athlete and was nationally ranked # 4 in Badminton.

Later I found job working for Coco-Cola for their first bottling plant.

Kanti: Music, religion and education has always been a very important aspect of life in Mathurs. Every Mathur knows some music. I had a real passion and talent for music and hence I was sent to Gandharva Mahavidhyala and learnt classical music for seven years. I have received my Visharad in classical music.

What motivated you to come to the US at a time when people were going to England for higher studies?

Mool Raj: Working at Coca-Cola, I got an insight into American life. I loved the work ethics of Americans. I also liked the respect that Americans had for their employees. Also, having worked for the independence movement the idea of moving to England did not appeal to me. I came to America in a ship. I came to Boston and enrolled at Northeastern University to complete my prerequisites for a Masters. I got admission to the Masters program at MIT but financial constraints made me choose the offer from the University of Cincinnati. Later I got a job at as a consulting engineer with the National Lead Company in Niagara Falls.

What made you decide to go back to India?

My father asked that I come back. We had to conduct the marriage of my two brothers and two sisters. I was the oldest in the family. While of course I was always sending money back home, my father felt the need for physical help. I would never refuse my father. So I went back and took up a job with Bengal Enamels in Calcutta.

How easy was it for the family to resettle in India?

The CEO at Bengal Enamels had paid for all moving expenses. I even took my Buick Electra from here. So we had all the comforts. While in the US , we also took great pains to teach Indian culture to our children. They were very fluent in Hindi. There was a strong focus on religion at home. Also they were trained in Indian music. So the transition was very seamless.

So what made you decide to come back to the US?

At a certain point the labor problems at Bengal Enamels was getting unmanageable. I was â€œGheroed â€œ by Naxalites. While I understood the laborâ€™s concerns it was not possible for me to solve their problems. Poverty was the cause of the unrest. I escaped and stayed for a couple of years in Delhi. After a while I realized that things were not going to change.

Also in those days the engineering firms in India were not State-of-the-Art. Hence I was not able to use my training effectively. So I decided to return to the states. While I felt really good that I was able to be there when my father needed me, I really do regret allowing my skills to rust for a couple of years.

Was it different coming to the US a second time?

Yes. This time I came back with the clear expectation that this may indeed be my permanent home. I came to North Carolina. It was part of the Bible belt and that experience was new for me. I along with Dr.G.D. Sharma founded the Hindu Society and incorporated it.

I had no idea that the founding of the Hindu Society would be viewed suspiciously by my employer. When he read about it in the newspaper he questioned my intentions. He asked if I was a Hindu Missionary who had come to convert the Christians. America has come a long way since then and it gives me great delight to the Hindu Society now become such a big successful entity.

As luck would have it, I was able to find another job in Boston a place that was my gateway to the US. My daughter was able to study at MIT, an offer I was unable to take up years earlier due to financial constraints. I am so glad that now my grandchildren are at MIT as well. Kanti and I bought this house at 50 Rawson Road in Arlington, Ma where we have lived ever since.

Did you encounter discrimination in the early years? How did you handle it?

One of my first realizations was that discrimination is something that is an inherent trait in all human beings. We fear those that are different from us.The caste system in India is one of the greatest discriminations one can ever imagine. Once you understand the universal nature of the problem it becomes easy to accept. While we were able to adjust then I am delighted that America is a different place now.

You were involved with India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB) in the early years and later you founded United India Association(UIA) . Could you describe the early years for us?

IAGB had gone into a hiatus for a while. I joined the organization in 1978 and served in several capacities until 1984. UIA was founded in 1985 for we needed an organization where we could celebrate festivals like Holi and Diwali. In 1984 I asked Bijoy Misra to take over the Presidency and he took the bold step of bringing the Independence Day celebrations to the Hatch Shell. He was able to bring a 1000 people to the event which was a huge step up from the roughly 100 people who would attend the event. Today it gives me such pleasure to see the crowds at the Hatch shell and would really like to credit Bijoy Misra for turining IAGB around and initiating one of the signature Indian American events in Boston.

Can you tell us about Yoga and how it has affected your life?

Yoga has helped keep me active even at the age of 80. I recently suffered from a heart attack. The doctors told me that but for Yoga, I would have been in the hospital 15 years earlier. It has also helped me handle stress.

What advice do you have for the younger generation?

I am very proud of all the accomplishments of the younger generation. I also am delighted that teenagers have formed a strong Indian American network and they broken caste and linguistic barriers. I would like to convey to them the advice my father gave me. Respect everyone. Work is worship. Religion is very important and knowing and understanding your heritage will help you know your identity. Always be willing to shoulder responsibility. The greater the responsibility you shoulder the better the person you will be.

Kanti: Nowadays women are really putting a lot of pressure on themselves to achieve a lot. They are also pressurizing their children. I am not sure this is healthy for them for it causes a lot stress. I think women should take life a little easy.

What is the secret to enjoying ones golden years?

Mool Raj Mathur: One must keep the mind and body as active as possible. I continue to do Yoga. We are very active with the Durga Temple. We continue to be active in the United India Association.

What are you really proud of in your life?

I was a pioneer in my family. I have been able to bring nearly 65 of my relatives to the US and helped them settle. I am really proud to see all my brothers and sisters doing so well. I considered it my prime responsibility to make sure they are doing well and hence it certainly is something I am very proud of. As Longfellow said in his "Psalm of Life"

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;