Most of the story is about Balavihar. In the middle and end there’s one useful advice.

The story begins in 2017. I’d just finished the last course for my degree and started work that same summer.

Somehow ended up Sigma Beta Rho’s Regional Governor for state of PA. The original candidate had to step away due to reasons that are not my place to share. I just filled the gap I saw.

Of course I added more to the plate by teaching kids on Sunday mornings to top off a busy life of work, near daily “professional networking”, and wrangling undergrads.

Why?

One of the other families on the board of trustees at the Piscataway mandir bragged that his kids were going to Rutgers so they could live at home and go the mandir every week.

Like any good Indian mother though, that didn’t stop her from making a snide comment during one of our morning calls about other people’s kids “doing more”. So I figured out a solution.

First aside, it is wild that living near the mandir and going there nearly every day has a higher social capital than commuting multiple times a week from Eastern Pennsylvania to NJ. Especially when there were much much better uses of your kids’ time.

Second aside, the overall results of using connections are mixed. I went to the Hindu Students Council camps as a high schooler and knew the national board. But could never get appointed to a board seat at Pitt. Ohh well, had enough other activities to keep me busy.

Moving on. This time around I asked Secretary-uncle. Nowadays he quietly runs his online Gita classes and does grass-roots interfaith work. Once upon a time, he was the General Secretary for VHPA and one of the organizers for HMEC. More importantly, he’s been a Pittsburgh native long enough that he has custom kurtas with the Steelers logo stitched on.

But anyways. He ran a Bhagavad Gita study for the parents that ran parallel to the Sunday School at the Hindu Jain Temple.

So I reached out asking if they needed any volunteers. He asked around and said they’re short adults who can keep the children entertained while the adults have their activity. I mean teach them about our rich culture and heritage.

So a routine was set. Sundays I’d get up and drive from Bloomfield to Monroeville. Sit in on the adult class. Uncle loves jokes and grand introductions. During the Ninjananda incident. He broke the tension by saying luckily they had a “backup swami”, and asked me to go on stage. In the classes he’d sometimes call me our local “Gita expert” because my copies are full of tabs, highlights, and notes. Learned the habit in middle school because I was failing my reading and writing assignments, surprisingly useful skill in adulthood.

I forget when exactly, but whenever my alarm went off. I would go upstairs to the supply room and grab the booklets. And then sit in our corner waiting for them to wrap up.

One of the kids was confused to see me the first class because last time she saw me, I was with my father performing a yagya for her folks.

Kids are sharp and ask a lot of questions.

Why was I teaching them? Why was I younger than the other teachers? Why was I not married? Why did any of this matter?

The last one was easier to answer. It doesn’t. It’s just fun to know and learn what all went into making you you.

Now here’s a fun weekend.

One day I had to be in Allentown because one of the local desi groups wanted to have a Sadhana workshop for the adults and high schoolers. And I was the closest in age to the youngsters.

So after work. I drove to my folk’s place. Saturday I did the workshop. After that, I got in the car and drove to Philadelphia.

Why? I had to be in Philly for a Probate that night. Luckily I had my Line Brother in the suburbs and could stay at his place.

Made it there and then made sure anything sketchy at the after party was out of my sight. Fun fact, you never really forget how to shotgun a beer or do a kegstand. Pro tip, important to learn before leaving undergrad, if you can solo fifth-and-a-friend or can carry a crate-race, it’s probably time to take a break.

Then before the bright Suryra or my LB were up. I was already driving back to Iron City for class. Got there before the other adults.

And of course, later, one of the kids asked why I looked so tired.

Here’s the job hunting advice.

It’s not a guaranteed. But having someone on the inside advocating for you is the easiest way to find a paid or unpaid job. With the given that it is somewhere you want to work. Looking at my real-life job hunting data, I’ve had the highest success rate getting that initial interview when I had someone already keep a foot in the door for me.