President

To be successful, one has to DARE and to TAKE ON challenges. My father, Late Sardar Narinder Singh Wasu, was different and unique. He gave up a secure and comfortable job and moved to Japan to take his chances and to shape his destiny.

This opportunity came to him in 1955. He worked for a Trading Company in Osaka for two years and then in 1957 he started a small Trading Company: General Machinery Export Corp, exporting automotive and machinery spare parts from Japan. Later, the name of his Company was shortened to Genemaco Corporation.

Little did he know that later in 1983, he would be positioned to play a very important and pivotal role in bridging together Hero Cycles Limited of India and Honda Motors of Japan to launch Hero Honda Motors Ltd (a historic joint venture which continued successfully for 26 long years until 2011). This two-wheeler enterprise changed its name to Hero MotoCorp Limited in 2011.

When my father was busy with his work, my mother, Swaran Kaur Wasu, became the supporting anchor to all his business endeavours as she devoted her full-time to also raising four children (I, Ranbir, Surinder Pal and my sister, Sumit). My mother continuously played a warm and wonderful host to numerous business and family visitors. She was an elegant and charming woman, and a devoted homemaker and life partner to our father. She gracefully adapted well to take on the challenges of a foreign country and a culture new to her.

I was born on 24 July 1948 in Tatanagar, at the home of my maternal grandfather.

My initial education was at a Christian Missionary School, Anthony D’Souza at Byculla in Mumbai. Later, I spent a few years at a boarding school, Barnes High School, in Deolali, Nashik. Also, I spent some time at Loyola School in Jamshedpur.

We shifted to Japan when I was 12 years old, and I continued my education at Marist Brothers International School, in Suma, Kobe. During my school days at Marist Brothers, I designed and launched the first school newspaper, The Horizon, and participated actively in Student Union activities.

During my school days, I always ranked first or second in all of my classes. I loved the sound of applause, and the pride on my father’s face, every time I was called out to receive an award. I could see from the corner of my eye a happy smile on my father’s face.

I always had a dream and the desire to become an entertainer.

After my high school graduation, I was lucky to be awarded a full scholarship, covering all my tuition, boarding and lodging costs, from the Speech Theatre Department of the Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY (USA).

To help out with the arrangements and travel expenses from Japan to America, I was provided assistance from the faculty of Marist Brothers International School. They coordinated a free passage for me to sail on a cargo ship to the USA. The sea travel took me from Nagoya via Coquimbo, Chile, South America, following through the Panama Canal to Sparrow Point, in Baltimore. Only a few crew members spoke English, the rest of the crew spoke only Chinese and Korean.

After a long 40 days voyage, I finally reached Baltimore, from where I took a Limousine Bus to my final destination, the Brooklyn, Campus of The Long Island University.

At Long Island University, after my first two years at the Speech Theatre department, I changed my major to study Business Management. I went on with my higher studies to get a Masters degree in Business Administration from Long Island University.

The upbringing and my family values during my education days in India, Japan and the USA played a magical role. They transformed me to become an “out of the box cocktail”.

I speak English, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Gujrati, Marathi and some French.

At the Brooklyn campus, my first part-time job experience started at the University Book Store. I was handed a broom with instructions to sweep the floor. I looked at the owner’s face, pushed the broom away and walked away from the offered job. A few months later, Mr Ira Markoff, the owner of the bookstore saw me again on the college campus and yelled at me smilingly, “Do you still want that job?” Feeling appreciative and thankful, I smiled at him with a Yes, and Thank You.

As it is normal and necessary for most aspiring and upcoming success seekers, I continued with numerous part-time jobs, bussing tables and waitering at numerous coffee shops and restaurants. This helped me to meet up with my extra college expenses.

After completing my college education, I returned to Japan and decided to join my father in the family business.

In 1974, our family friends from the House of Weikfied in Pune, The Malhotras introduced our family and me to my now wife, Kawaljit. She was born in Pune and had lived in many cities in India as her father, late Lieutenant Colonel Joginder Singh Lamba, was a doctor in the Indian Army.

She had begun her first year at Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi when we got married on 13 April 1974.

After our wedding, we stayed in Kobe, Japan, for a brief period until my father started a factory in Pune and I was transferred to Pune. Our daughter Navneet (Sonu) and son, Deshdeep (Desh) were born in Pune.

In 1979, I had the opportunity to go back to the United States to study Restaurant and Hotel Management at the University of Denver, in Colorado, USA. Because of the earlier already earned credits of my business management studies, my Restaurant and Hotel Management courses could be completed in just two years. Kawaljit stayed with our children in Pune. Upon finishing my education, Kawaljit and the children joined the family and me back in Japan.

Kawaljit and I started our own Trading Company, Impact International in Kobe, Japan in 1988. We promoted sales and export of machine tools, machinery and automotive spare parts, production dies and moulds, raw materials for manufacturing and special equipment for factory automation. With persistent dedication and hard work, Impact International continues to flourish.

In 2016, I was felicitated with a Top Management Consortium – Global Award of Excellence by the Governor of Goa, Hon’ble (Dr) Mridula Sinha, in Goa, India.

In 1995, Kobe, Japan was hit by a major earthquake. Then again, in 2011, the Tohoku region of Japan was hit by another massive tremor followed by a tsunami. The Island of Japan faces many such unpredictable earthquakes and also many large typhoons. We too had a lesson to learn from the way Japanese come out strong and resettle themselves all over again. Not only did we get acclimatised, but also learnt to start all over again after any fall.

Our daughter Sonu Wasu works as an investigative reporter for the ABC15 television network in Phoenix, AZ, USA. She has won multiple awards for her excellence in journalism along with community service awards for stories she has covered on essential issues such as human trafficking and opiate abuse. She graduated with a degree in mass communications from the University of California, in San Diego, and now resides with her husband John Gonnella and a daughter Giavanna Gonnella.

Our son, Deshdeep (Desh) works with us as a Director at Impact International, Kobe, Japan. Deshdeep graduated in 1999 from Babson College, a highly reputable entrepreneurship and business University near Boston, USA. In 2004, he completed his Masters in Business Administration from the International University of Japan (IUJ), in Urasa, Niigata, Japan. During his MBA programme, he also enjoyed an opportunity to spend four months in Barcelona, Spain, at the ESADE Business School.

Prior to attending University, Deshdeep won the first prize for a National Essay Contest, hosted by the National Durrell Institute of Technology, USA, in 1995. His essay addressed Japan and USA trade relations, their inter-dependence and the impact of their relationship on Asia and the far east.

He was awarded a special gold coin and a certificate of academic excellence in Economics. In high school he was also an All-State Soccer player. He captained the varsity side, and received the most valuable player and sportsmanship awards.

Deshdeep is married to Madhavi Kumar Patwardhan, who is also from Pune. Deshdeep and Madhavi have a son named Aryan.

We are NRIs and Overseas Citizens of India and we have a Permanent Residence Status in Japan and have lived here in Japan for more than 45 years. By default, we also look at ourselves in the role of unofficial but very active Ambassadors of India continuing to promote and to upkeep the name and reputation of our country, INDIA.