'An Indian in Cowboy Country' views Houston's business scene
India-born Pradeep Anand has given a name to immigrants trying to live the American dream -- Satish Sharma.
A graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology in Mombai and founder of consulting firm Seeta Resources LLC, Anand used personal and professional experiences to create Satish's character in his book, "An Indian in Cowboy Country: Stories from an Immigrant's Life."
The stories evolve around an Indian engineer who comes to work in the U.S. oil and gas industry just before the oil bust.
"'Indian' captures the experiences and challenges that such an individual would have in, say, a span of 20 years," Anand says. "We have a global economy and going across cultures is going to happen."
Although he drew information from real-life experiences, Anand says the book is not about him.
"My life is not that interesting," he quips. "However it can be very interesting in terms of different historical events that you find yourself in. The decline in oil prices is not something everyone goes through."
In the case of Satish, he experiences prejudice, but more in terms of a glass ceiling, something Anand says both women and immigrants often face.
"Satish is confronted with a situation which tempts him to compromise his integrity," he says. "Most importantly, you cannot sacrifice your personal values. Do whatever is necessary, but don't compromise those to anyone. To succeed you have to get people to trust you, and do whatever it takes to get that trust."
chall@bizjournals.com • 713-960-5939
