Thanks Giving – Gratitude for Receiving Great American Help

I am talking a lot of negatives and seemingly making too many complaints. But these are for real and my pain is real as well. Instead of perpetually saying why this country didn’t work for me for a number of reasons, let me talk about positive as well which is the help I received from this country. One of the biggest help towards my cause came when I lost my 6-year-long job with a client 6 months back. The moment sank me completely – I am riding on nothing, lost my money, savings, lost a job, cannot afford to transfer my visa, staring at the prospect of moving out of Chicago and staring at the prospect of going back to India. The moment was ripe and through the convergence of all those helping hands in the country, I found another remote job and the seemingly sinking ship suddenly found a lifeline to continue the onward journey. I feel deep down that this second chance of putting me in a job with another health care client is a big help from this country. I might have lost too many other things but never lost my trajectory to rise and rise higher. To say about this rise, I attended two big tech conferences by Amazon and Microsoft in New York and Chicago while working in this stint. I was not required to break my lease and move out of this city either. While I worked with a first client based in Chicago, the second client is based in Philadelphia or near New York, saying I reached a plane higher than the previous. It might not be entirely due to my work or due to my blogging or something else. I never knew but I take it that way that I am in transit to be where I belong. Because of all this help and uplifting a drowning person, on this thanks giving eve, I thank this great country and everyone responsible for giving a rich lifeline to below-average, lower middle class, lesser competent, common man like me to build on the momentum and march onwards uninterrupted. 

I don’t completely know the job I does, though I work in a job. In essence I am not a great, able and efficient employee but just scrapes through with bare minimum qualifications. For a person with as many limitations, it is next to impossible for any other sector to employ and pay salary for more than six years at a stretch if not for the great health insurance domain of U.S. These health insurance dollars are powering me or sponsoring me for the last six years. Now you wonder where all the excess in health care sector of U.S. goes – to sustain people like me. As I complained a number of times, I lost money due to frauds and this salary is keeping me alright without slipping away. By employing me and paying a nominal salary, they are providing operational costs to power countries altogether like U.S., India and I am not joking. I know the pain of working through the week, week after week. I know the pain of colleagues working with me or I wonder if they are employees of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO in India). Only they are not on paper but working up those roles in reality. Take it with a pinch of salt and I am not exaggerating as I say what I saw. I am expressing the best I can and I am manifesting the best I can in my assumed, imaginary role by virtue of the job in this health care domain. On this thanks giving eve, I thank the great health insurance clients of U.S. for supporting me and paying me enough for a decent period of time. 

One of the hallmarks of this health insurance domain, despite flaws in US health care as a whole, is the number of employees gainfully employed from countries like India. I am a living example whose life has been altered because of this engagement and reaching out. Can a company in India employ workers from other countries in hundreds and thousands? I don’t think it will happen. But here I am in a strange reality where I was employed by US client and I never worked direclty for an Indian client ever. In a way, it is the greatness from US to provide employment for Indians like us to express the best we can. Can we imagine a person in the ripe age of thirties is employed for six years by another country. More than 1.5 lakh Indians work for US health insurance companies from offshore and onsite. This is the best contribution from US and a need of the hour for Indians like us looking for employment. Remember, 15-20% of graduates and post-graduates from India are unemployed. Educated unemployment is a serious problem in India. These decent, high paying jobs are a scarcity for Indians and US has filled this slot for mutual benefit very well by employing lakhs of people in this space. On the eve of thanks giving, I thank these health insurance companies for extending employment opportunities with decent pay for sinking stories like us. 

As the main essence of this post is the help I received from America, which is very true, I would touch upon three key areas around this help. 1. The great standing of these US helpers 2. Help in need in America 3. Help rendered in India through an NGO associated with me while I was in India. 

Coming to the first, let us appreciate the great American health insurance domain for giving a lot of help. The great health-insurance companies of the United States stand as towering pillars of modern society—institutions where economic strength, humanitarian care, and technological innovation converge. Their mission extends far beyond managing policies; they protect millions of Americans during moments of vulnerability while simultaneously driving global employment and progress. Among the international talent that fuels this ecosystem, hardworking Indian professionals play a particularly vital role. 

Across the U.S., health-insurance giants employ tens of thousands of people, and a significant share of this workforce includes Indians working onsite and remotely. From major American cities to India’s technology hubs, these professionals power essential functions—claims processing, provider-network analytics, actuarial support, risk modeling, compliance, data engineering, and member services. This partnership is deeply symbiotic: Indian experts gain stable, meaningful careers and exposure to world-class systems, while American insurers benefit from unparalleled dedication, precision, and problem-solving talent. 

Yet, the true impact of these companies is felt not in spreadsheets but in people’s lives. Every approved claim represents relief for a family facing medical costs. Every efficient process, negotiated network contract, or transparent policy reduces the financial burden of healthcare. Behind each decision stands a diverse workforce—analysts, coders, nurses, processors, and support staff, many of them Indian—working with integrity to ensure fairness and accuracy. 

In recent years, health-insurance companies have accelerated innovation to make care more affordable. Through preventive-care initiatives, telehealth expansion, advanced analytics, fraud detection, and value-based care models, they have helped lower costs and improve health outcomes across communities. These innovations ripple outward, strengthening the entire American healthcare system. 

Ultimately, the U.S. health-insurance sector is more than an industry; it is a testament to global collaboration and the pursuit of better health. For Indian professionals, it offers purpose and prosperity. For millions of Americans, it remains a steadfast guardian—delivering protection, compassion, and hope when they are needed most. 

Coming to the second, help is in need in America. I have been willing to contribute in this space but I don’t find meaningful avenue. Hence, talking over in this blog space with a hope to convert talk into action on the ground. Nevertheless, I work as a volunteer in a local temple every week. Coming to the actual help needed, America is a country where there i significant black population requiring assistance to come up in their lives. I had written on this topic a number of times earlier but still don’t see anything concrete on the ground. America is admired around the world for its prosperity, innovation, and promise, yet beneath this success lies a quieter truth: not everyone in the country has equal access to opportunity. Even in a wealthy nation, millions of people face barriers shaped by poverty, limited education, unequal healthcare access, and generational disadvantages. These challenges remind us that help is not just a charitable gesture—it is a moral responsibility. When inequality exists, a society must come together to lift those who have been left behind. 

Marginalized communities, including many Black Americans, continue to face structural challenges rooted in history. Issues such as generational poverty, housing discrimination, underfunded schools, and limited access to quality healthcare have created deep gaps that persist across generations. While countless Black individuals thrive in business, arts, government, and academia today, others still confront systemic obstacles that have nothing to do with personal capability and everything to do with long-standing inequities. Supporting such communities is not about pity—it is about fairness, repair, and providing opportunities that many have been historically denied. 

In this context, volunteers play an essential role. Unlike large institutions, volunteers offer something deeply human: personal connection, mentorship, and consistent presence. They can respond quickly to community needs—whether tutoring a child, assisting with job applications, helping families navigate healthcare, or simply showing up where support is lacking. Their flexibility and compassion help bridge gaps that systems alone cannot fill. When volunteers invest their time, they send a powerful message: You matter. Your future matters. 

Helping marginalized communities benefits the entire nation. When more people have access to education, stability, and opportunity, crime decreases, local economies grow, families strengthen, and society becomes more unified. A stronger America is built when all of its communities are empowered to thrive. Volunteerism, therefore, is not just an act of kindness—it is an act of patriotism, justice, and hope for a more inclusive future. Let us hope more organizations empowering volunteers to support the lesser privileged come up in this country to create a much better nation. I wish I help these people in abundance to receive my own share of help. I might receive help till my account of help rendered has some balance in it. 

With regards to the third area around help, I really acted on the ground by rendering help through this organization called Youth For Seva in India. I spent hundreds of hours teaching kids in schools, helping them compete in competitions, as a covid warrior during pandemic, giving school kits and other services on the ground. I got an opportunity to engage through this organization and it is really making waves with regards to helping people through seva ever since. 

Youth for Seva (YFS) has emerged as one of India’s most active youth-driven volunteer organizations, steadily expanding its reach and deepening its impact over the years. Today, YFS operates across 40+ cities, including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mysuru, Tumakuru, and several more, with additional growth through the Seva Circle initiative, which alone extended the organization into 15 new cities. This wide presence allows YFS to mobilize young volunteers wherever community needs arise. 

The organization’s volunteer base is equally impressive. YFS reports having engaged over 246,000 volunteers to date, while other listings show more than 112,000 active or recent participants. These volunteers support critical areas such as education, health, environment, and community development. Their work ranges from tutoring students for exams to organizing school-health initiatives, running learning centers, assisting community clinics, and supporting environmental campaigns. The collective impact is substantial—YFS lists more than 3.6 million beneficiaries since inception and collaborates with 250 NGOs and 140 corporates, enabling a vast and coordinated service network. 

In the last two years, YFS continued to strengthen its presence across India, as reflected in its 2022–24 annual reports. Programs have remained robust in education and health, with initiatives such as NMMS exam coaching, school material distribution, community health drives, and youth cultural events like Chiguru. While precise volunteer hours for these specific years are not publicly listed, the overall activity and expansion clearly indicate continuous, large-scale engagement. YFS’s sustained volunteerism and structured programs underscore its significant role in shaping grassroots social impact across India. I am highly appreciative of the action taken to fill the huge vaccum of reaching out to the huge number of lesser previleged in India. Government should be the biggest NGO in India and these organizations driving change becomes the force behind government action in key areas of outreach. I am thankful for the opportunity this organization gave for allowing me to work on the ground in India. This kind of involvement is needed in any country, even in US and I am surprised I couldn’t set my foot on the ground even after 3.8 years living here. Let US mimic these organizations for making real change by involving every like-minded individual. Remember, when structural help is delivered, today’s children or tomorrow’s citizens will be transformed and have an altogether different outlook on society. 

In the end, my journey—lifted by America’s help, India’s spirit of seva, and the kindness of countless unseen hands—reminds me that lives rise through help rendered and help received. I move forward with gratitude for the great American help and a renewed goal to serve on the ground.