Lakshmi is working as a Managing Director and Financial Reporting Leader at a global consulting firm, based out of New York City. For several years, he volunteered as a member on the board of trustees of The Chemists Club, New York and as a chairperson to the managing committee of the U.S. Overseas Center of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
Lakshmi has co-authored an autobiographical book, A Nightmare on December 23rd, that has been read and appreciated in more than ten countries across the globe. Recently, Lakshmi has directed and produced a stage show named, Ram Leela 2022 with the objective of spreading Indian culture among diverse communities in the U.S.. His leadership efforts have been appreciated by the honorable mayor of Plainsboro, New Jersey, the honorable finance minister of Punjab, India, Arun Govil – the Bollywood actor, and the DEI communities of many large corporate, professional, and social service organizations.
Lakshmi graduated in commerce from the D.A.V. College, Bathinda (a small town in the state of Punjab, India) in 1992. He then became member of ‘The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (“ICSI”)’, ‘The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (“ICAI”)’ and the ‘American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (“AICPA”)’. His professional articles and works have been published in the Chartered Secretary and the Chartered Accountant journals. He has been on a panel at various AICPA, Big Four, ICSI, ICAI conferences on accounting, leadership and inclusion.
He is currently living in Plainsboro, New Jersey, with his wife and two daughters. He is a parent alumni of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Emory University, Atlanta.
Noemi Garg holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences, with highest distinction, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is currently a medical student (MD class of 2024) at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan. She has multiple research publications in prestigious biomedical journals. She worked at Gilead Sciences and at Michigan Medicine as a research assistant during her undergraduate studies.
Noemi loves to write, do calligraphy, paint, and travel to new and exotic places.
Noemi worked as a content leader for this book and has also recently published a play named, Ram Leela 2022 based on an Indian epic Ramayana.
Darisi Garg is an undergraduate student at Emory University, Atlanta class of 2026. She is pursuing business with a film/media industry concentration as well as music degrees at Emory. She studied advanced piano at the New School for Music Study in Kingston, NJ, and learned violin from many gurus in the industry. She has become an Associate of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), London at a young age of 16.
Darisi plays music at high profile musical festivals, recitals, and concerts. In her free time, Darisi loves to write, watch sitcoms, and attend business and political leadership networking events. She recently co-authored a professional article that was published in the May 2022 issue of the Chartered Secretary and has also co-authored a play named Ram Leela 2022.
Darisi worked as a leader for the production of the audio book at her music studio and for the deployment of appropriate social media and other marketing strategies for the book. As a co-author, she played a significant role in the development of the manuscript, especially talking to people to learn about the true events of the past, crafting short stories, working with the editors, etc.. Darisi also owned a book cart at Quaker Bridge Mall in NJ, where she sold more than 650 copies of this book and inspired new authors. Darisi raised more than $6k from her cart, and donated the profits to help Covid-19 impacted families in India. She has been praised for her efforts by an Indian member of Parliament as well as renowned newspapers and TV channels.
Access the Audio Book: Provide your email and the proof of purchase of the e-book or paperback copy to nightmare.dec23@gmail.com or at subscription page of the website.
Why this Memoir? – From Lakshmi’s Eyes
With the blessings of God, the writing initiative from my daughters, and the developmental guidance of the editor, my family and I are able to complete the book ‘A Nightmare on December 23rd’, 7,145 Miles and A Million Little Steps; it is about my life.
Many youngsters living in small villages and towns of underdeveloped countries are trying to carve their path to success. I was one of them too. In this book, we hope to demystify my limited success with various anecdotes throughout my life starting from my hometown, Bathinda where I lived half of my life. We share funny stories, embarrassing incidents, beautiful yet vulnerable moments, and behind-the-scene realities of my life in Bathinda. Moving to a developed city or country did not automatically make all my struggle go away rather a change in my way of looking at life did the trick and helped me achieve my dreams – one-by-one. Through it all there were some selfless Indians and Americans of all ages including today’s younger generation that came to my rescue, supported me, held me up and inspired me – that I was able to overcome many nightmares in life.
We shared many secrets throughout the book that worked for me. Walking a line with orthodox societies for more than three decades, believing in the strength of connections/ relations, breaking stereotypes, accepting weaknesses and welcoming changes are some of the themes we showcased in my easy-to-relate family and work stories.
Our intended audience is the public at large. Specifically, I believe this book can break many myths for the young generation of underdeveloped and developing countries. Similarly, people from developed areas can get a real sneak-peak into the life in villages and small towns. My peers from large companies or professional institutions may be interested in looking at the journey and some work-place stories we share, and the immigrants living outside their home country can enjoy funny anecdotes of adapting to a new place alongside many nightmares of moving in. We hope to create a nice smile on the readers’ faces as they move from one chapter to another.
THE BOOK IS A PERSONAL STORY PRESENTED BY MY DAUGHTERS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE UNDERPRIVILEGED. THE BOOK HAS NO CONNECTION WITH ANY ORGANIZATION INCLUDING MY PRESENT AND PAST EMPLOYERS, AND THEREFORE DOES NOT REPRESENT THEIR VIEWS. — LAKSHMI KANT
A Nightmare on December 23rd 