I was born in a small town in Northern India, about 100 miles from Delhi. I lost my father when I was two-and-a-half, and my mother raised myself and my four sisters on her own from that point forward. She put what she could on the table through sewing work and rent from a small shop my father had owned, and we survived on about $1 a day.

From my earliest memories, I was well aware that as the only male child in our family, it would be my responsibility to provide for my mother and my sisters. Any hopes of rising up from poverty were on my shoulders. When I reflect on my experience, I see the childhood that was lost to me. I see the challenge into which I was born. But at the time, I just put my head down and did what I had to do. Aware of my need to be the breadwinner, by the time I was about 10, I became focused on that role. I thought to myself, okay, if that’s how my life is going to be, then I need to perform. I need to produce results so that my family can survive.