Omvati & Suresh Chand Gupta

Success has different meaning for everyone. For this couple who happen to be my parents, the definition of success is unique.

I had one of my best friends and a great writer Jeena Dutta take an interview of them and write about their lives.

Here is how Jeena describes their life.

Living the dream

Traveling through time, life, and countries to a world unknown yet so fulfilling. Captivating, isn’t it? That is how I felt while I was talking to Mrs. Omvati Gupta and Mr. Suresh Chand Gupta. It was not long into our conversation that I was beginning to feel a sense of pride. A pride of being a woman. A pride of the world we live in, where anything is possible if you put your heart, mind, and soul to it. A pride of having the same origin as this beautiful couple. We talked about dreams, goals, hardships, family, and most importantly love and respect.

The couple today boasts a life that is more than what they had hoped for. Something Mrs. Omvati told me has been resonating in my mind, “home is where your family is”. What did she mean by that? After having lived in India all her life, could she call this country to be her home? To me that was baffling. How is that even possible? But what she said after made a lot of sense. She said, “I have only known one life that is living and providing for my children. If my children are here, my home is here.” I asked Mrs. Gupta to tell me more about herself. I was really intrigued and wanted to know about her. She was a little shy at first but then slowly started opening. She said, “you know, I had a dream of my own too, that was to be a doctor. I was very smart and intelligent in school. Yet I wasn’t allowed to pursue my dreams because I was a girl.” She continued, “I come from an exceedingly small and remote village in Haryana, India and was married at an incredibly young age. I was hardly 16 with little knowledge of the world. I wasn’t even allowed to go to school after 10th grade”. Mrs. Gupta paused for a moment; I sensed a little disappointment in her voice. But to my surprise, after a brief lull, her voice bloomed with pride and confidence as she continued her story.

She said,

“I am lucky that I am married to a good man. We share the same values and we both love our family. I was a mother of four beautiful children by the time I was 21. I went back to school after my 4th child and finished college.”

In India, till a couple of decades ago, it was a common practice for girls to marry in their teen age years. They did not have much say in society. We as Indians have come a long way since then. Today’s Indian women are bustling with energy, self-confidence, and ambition. Had Mrs. Omvati’s story been played out today, it would be a whole different narrative.

Hearing her talk was refreshing and at this point Mr. Suresh started speaking. He said

“A good wife is all you need to have a happy and fulfilling life. That is what I have, a wife who has been there for me and my family through thick and thin. I was a teacher making just enough to survive. But regardless of our financial restrictions, we had a happy family. My wife made sure that our family had everything we needed. She would sew our clothes herself so that we did not need to buy clothes. I must say she was exceptionally good at it. Omvati would cook everything our children liked, so that they never felt the need to go out and eat.”

Sounds like a movie, doesn’t it? Well, this is as real as it gets. Mr. & Mrs. Gupta told me that like all parents they had a dream to see each one of their children succeed in the careers they chose and the lives they lead.

To ensure a quality life for their children, they tried to instill a high sense of morality, accountability, and respect in them along with a great emphasis on education. Mrs. Omvati humbly said, “I could only teach. But it was up to my children how much they wanted to learn. And today I can proudly say, they listened, understood, and delivered. 3 of my 4 children are doctors in the US. They graduated from highly reputed institutions, including Harvard University, and Vanderbilt University. One of my daughters live in India. She is happily married and has a business of her own. “Date: May 23rd, 2021 2 Mrs. Gupta continued, “I wanted to be a doctor, but I could not. So, I wanted to inspire my children enough so that they would aspire to achieve bigger and greater things in life.” I asked the couple if they are content with how things shaped up for them,

“Oh yes! We cannot thank God enough with everything He has given us. Not many are as blesse as we are. Our sons, daughters and grand children understand and respect how far we have come in one generation. We as a family are extremely grateful and each one of us are always trying to give back as much as we can to the society, we live in.”

Today, the couple lives in an affluent neighborhood in South Jersey, surrounded by their family who live only a few miles away.

They get to see their sons and their wives, their daughter and her family and their grandkids all the time. Though thousands of miles away from their origin, Mr. & Mrs. Gupta call this country their home. Regardless of the language, culture and lifestyle barriers, the couple has been able to create a bond that is rare to find. They are independent, active, and very present in the lives of their loved ones. They have set an example for their co-villagers, friends, and acquaintances back in India. People back home narrate their life’s story with awe and admiration. Mrs. Omvati looked at me and I could see a blissful content in her eyes, she took a deep breath and ended, “None of this was easy, but it was all worth it.” She smiled!

                                                             Jeena Dutta

My mom is a great cook. She makes finger licking food. It is painful to eat her food sometimes because you must pay a Heavy price of the weight gain.

My parents are both extremely hard working. Sometimes I feel that even at this age they work harder than any of our siblings. They are always doing something. If its not cooking then it will be gardening or something else.

Success for them is spending time with the family. Making sure the kids are taken care of and they are well fed. Often you see parents telling their kids that they are proud of them but here I would like to say, what they have done, and how they have done, I am proud of them.

Rajan Gupta. MD. CEO THE CENTERSPREAD