‘India still isn’t an easy place for foreigners’

I landed in September of 1993 through Mumbai airport after securing a bilateral scholarship to study Architecture in India during the troubling time of Africa democratic awaking of the 90’s and just before the India Embassy closed his mission in the Congo. I should here that I came to India cause my brother <g data-gr-id="60">force</g> to do so as it was totally an unknown land beside the stories of magic, Safir, etc. But I managed to survive with $50 which Indian Government was providing as the Congolese part was never given due to political trouble which continued till late 2012 in the East. Enrolled first in B. com honor in Deshbandhu College just for a year before joining 1994 the School of Planning and Architecture where I spent my best five <g data-gr-id="53">year</g> of student life in India. 

These years were spent committing between ITO, the campus and Maharani Bagh where the hostels are located. Commuting between the two place was a difficult task considering the transport system of that time, then any means <g data-gr-id="45">was use</g> to reach class in time and achieve the minimum required attendance. The most challenging was night as buses stopped at 11PM and only trucks were the only way we could get back to the hostel after <g data-gr-id="43">long</g> day of work. In my second manage to get my first bike, <g data-gr-id="40">an Bullet</g> Enfield 350CC bought from Karol Bagh market. From here on, life in Delhi had become easier for studies commuting, jobs in exhibition or French language tutor to make extra money as 50$ per month was no more enough for life in Delhi. Five years passed so quick but made very friends in the process, who made it easier to live here because India wasn’t and still isn’t a very easy place for foreigners. But in my case the bond between us hosteller was so good, I had never felt out of place. 

This remind me once instance when I took a taxi to join the hostel as fresh and the taxi tried to overcharge me and a senior guy come out and sort the man <g data-gr-id="64">taxiwalla</g> while I was sent inside the building in a comfortable zone.After passing out in 1999, I had <g data-gr-id="48">request</g> for an <g data-gr-id="65">intern ship</g> to work while the waiting for the big of my convocation which <g data-gr-id="50">I unfortunately</g> missed for <g data-gr-id="49">unknown</g> reason to myself too. I then join PradeedSachdev Design Associates in <g data-gr-id="66">Kirtiextension</g> which was more of experimental and <g data-gr-id="67">free thinking</g> architecture studio as we had this latitude to design and discuss our ideas with the rest. My life <g data-gr-id="41">turn</g> a new turn after my marriage in 2002 to a Delhi girl cause I had to become a proper <g data-gr-id="68">Delhite</g> in <g data-gr-id="42">proper</g> sense.In 2004, I venture in the free lacing entrepreneurship thinking that I had understood the working culture of the land but unfortunately this turn out to be a very costly idea cause in the construction world everyone contractor is ready to get money from you without delivering and client act like predator too, holding your payment <g data-gr-id="39">sometime</g> for months and months together. And in some instance you need to leave some percentage to the get it. Having said that, if you are well <g data-gr-id="61">routing</g> with the whole system, you can make a hell of money, but in my case I decide to drop the idea and concentrate on consultation with other friends while pursuing more studies in Ecological buildings. This has led me to join many universities from Sikkim Manipal, TERI university and finally in 2012 Nottingham University looking for the understanding of <g data-gr-id="36">relationship</g> between buildings and environmental deterioration. Now my work is focusing on energy in buildings, the use of free energy from nature to our life. 

Being from Africa and living in India, I could see lot of similarities which be directly take from here and executed there, and this is what me and my partners are quite successfully doing considering that Indian technology is quite similar to what is required in Africa and most import the cost people there can pay. Looking back to my life <g data-gr-id="32">parcours</g>, I don’t regret my decision to have come, study here and continue living in the land of Mahatma for the knowledge I have accumulated and today I am a 

father of two lovely boys.