The two volumes of the Indian Mate relive a story of people like me: people who left behind everything that they have ever known to create a better future for themselves and their loved ones; people who are from two different countries, but don’t fully belong to either; people who realise that their lives in two different countries have forged a new identity for them. These volumes are my journey from Namaste to How-r-ya in my own words – I hope reading these will be an enjoyable and inspiring experience for you!
Volume 1
The stories of Partition in India in 1947 were an ingrained part of my childhood: the human endurance and triumph amongst the heart wrenching tragedies arising from the biggest migration in human history. The first volume narrates how families like mine navigated this turbulent period. It then chronicles my own experience of growing up in extreme financial hardship in a middle-class family in modern India that was increasingly getting mired in the Eastern and Western cultural clashes and economic disparity and my efforts to move to Australia, a country with new possibilities for myself and my family.
Volume 2
Volume 2 uncovers the unique Australian experience through the eyes of an NRI (Non-Resident Indian) who later became an Australian citizen. It chronicles my journey from being a student in Australia with crushing expectations, $1000 and a bag full of dreams with feelings of homesickness and isolation, who faced years of personal, professional and cultural challenges to be the person I am today. It recounts the journey of self-discovery from a point in my life where I felt that I belonged neither to India nor to Australia to a realisation that in fact I have acquired a new identity forged from my experiences in these
two countries.
About Divesh
Divesh is an entrepreneur who loves solving problems. He was born in India and migrated to Australia at the young age of 21. His family background was one of extreme hardship and financial difficulties. He moved to Australia with $1000 in his pocket, and has since worked his way up to lead tech teams and deliver innovative solutions to businesses across the globe.
The Indian Mate at the Belgrave Library.
When
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Thursday 30th March 2023
Contact
03 9800 6489
Where
Belgrave Library
Reynolds Lane
Belgrave VIC
Organizer
About
Divesh Sareen (born October 4, 1986) is an Indian-born Australian entrepreneur and author who moved to Australia when he was 21 to study for his Master’s in Information Technology. He is the author of the 2-book series entitled The Indian Mate. The two volumes share the journey from Namaste to Howrya acting as a source of inspiration for people who belong to more than one country.
Early Life
He is the eldest child born in Ludhiana Punjab, in a family with limited resources and raised amidst great hardship and financial difficulties. Divesh began exploring his options both in India and abroad with the hope to elevate his and his families standing in his lifetime.
Education
He studied in a private Convent School and completed his undergraduate studies in Maths, Computers & Science in 2004. He excelled in maths at the university and bagged the title of maths guru in later years.
He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management in 2007 from Punjab Technical University.
He completed his Master’s degree in IT in 2010 from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.
Family
Parents: Love Kumar Sareen & Neena Sareen
Brother: Mukul Sareen
Spouse: Catherine Sareen
Children: Hari Sareen & Aishwarya Sareen
Move to Australia
He moved to Australia in February 2008, at the age of 21, to work towards building a better future for himself and his family.
In his books, Divesh shares his journey of moulding himself from one culture to the other and his understanding of both. It also narrates his efforts to challenge some cultural norms such as the idea of an arranged marriage by convincing his parents to let him marry an Australian girl they had never met.
Career & Business
Divesh started his first job as a manager of production and worked in various admin jobs, call centres, taught maths online and worked at Dell Technologies whilst saving up to come to Australia.
In Australia, he worked odd jobs as he studied, taught maths till year 12 and worked in Telesales. After finishing his degree, he worked as a website developer, technical support personnel, account manager and did odd jobs over the weekend.
He later became an entrepreneur and a renowned Product & Technology Solutions architect and a strategic thinker who consults and assists businesses with their strategies.
He built a real estate brand and his own Augmented Reality app start-up. He also heads various other start-ups in Product & Technology capacity and consults scale-ups.
His latest and upcoming ventures are After the WHY, Seeking Guru, Avatar Media, and Find a Legend.
Books and the Vision
‘The Indian Mate‘ Volume 1 and Volume 2 were written with an aim of adding something of value to inspire younger generations and is an attempt to narrate the lives of people who sacrificed everything to lay a pathway for others.
The poem ‘Forged from two different nations’, which is part of the book, narrates the dilemma of the people belonging to more than one nation.
He believes in the ideology of his favourite poem – ‘Jind Meriye Mitti Diye Dheriye’, the essence of which is that we will not remain here forever, and even the next breath is not guaranteed. Therefore, our emphasis should be on living a life with a purpose that’s bigger than us.