“I was born in 1967 in Moulmein, the fourth-largest city in Myanmar (Burma). My father worked there as a civil engineer and my mother practiced medicine. My older sister and I grew up in a stable household with nannies who cared for us while our parents worked. I have mostly positive feelings about Moulmein, except for upsetting memories of sexual abuse by an older male relative.
Myanmar had been a peaceful home for my Indian family for several generations. Then, after a military coup, our family decided to move to the United States in 1971. At first, my father worked the third shift at a California sheet metal factory. Then, we relocated to New York City where my mother completed her American medical internship and residency. Later, the United States Air Force recruited my mother to serve as a pediatrician with the rank of captain. So, we relocated to Louisiana where my mother served at England AFB and my father worked at a nuclear power plant. I became a naturalized United States citizen in 1978.
I admired my parents’ hard work and determination to succeed in America. I respected my father’s ongoing civic leadership for the Bengali community of New Orleans. However, my parents often took their stress and frustrations out on me. It is painful to recall their aggressive use of corporal punishment and psychological abuse. My father grew particularly angry with my difficulty reading due to undiagnosed dyslexia.
Despite my reading issues, I earned good grades in school. I enjoyed participating in taekwondo, baseball, football, and track. I also joined the debate team and performed in two plays. My family briefly moved to Cincinnati where I finished high school and worked at a local amusement park.
In 1985, I enrolled at New York University where I studied art history and philosophy. I loved my academic courses and enjoyed an active social life. During the summers, I worked for my dad’s environmental remediation company in New Orleans and completed an advertising internship in New York City. I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree in Art History with a minor in Philosophy in 1989. Three years later, I enrolled in the graduate architecture program at Georgia Tech. I had several excellent mentors there who helped me achieve my potential as a designer. I graduated with my Master of Architecture degree in 1996.
I began my career designing office buildings for a corporate architecture firm in Philadelphia. Then, in 1999, a New York-based firm hired me to work on projects like Cyberport, a massive business and entertainment development in Hong Kong. In 2000, I moved to Beijing, China, to work on a 15 million-square foot new university. I proceeded to move back and forth between China and the United States for several years working on projects like the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas and Silver Towers in Midtown Manhattan.
The Great Recession hit the American real estate business hard. So, I returned to China and resumed work with my Chinese collaborators. I worked in several large Chinese cities on projects like resort hotels. I always liked to work, but I often felt isolated and depressed.
I moved to Hong Kong in 2016 where I worked for a prominent development firm then as the company’s design director for over 20 projects ranging from minor renovations to multi-billion-dollar developments. Then, in 2018, I moved back to New Orleans to care for my elderly parents who were dealing with end-of-life issues including dementia. I continued to work remotely as I looked after my parents.
After my Parents passing, I moved to Durham, North Carolina where I purchased a condominium. My business has expanded over the past year as people have begun to seek out the development strategy expertise my partner and I deployed to make Miami Riverbridge the most exciting project in South Florida. Along with our more commercial efforts, we are also trying to make inroads into helping solve the affordable housing problem in the United States. There are many paths that could be taken, but we feel our focus on redeveloping under-used properties is the quickest pathway towards results.
I offer the information above to show that, although I pleaded guilty to a serious crime, and a judge sentenced me to serve a 60-month sentence, I have a strong record as a professional architect and responsible citizen. I grew up with strong role models for hard work and responsible citizenship. I believe I am a good-hearted person who used very poor judgment in this case. I am committed to make amends for my inexcusable conduct. When I return home from prison, I am determined to use my design skills to make a positive contribution to my community.
