The dinner table is set with four chairs filled by the four members of the family, four glasses of water, and four dishes of palak paneer. Palak paneer, a classic Indian dish that his mother, Purvi, perfected – which Shyamal has carefully chosen as his favorite. Punit, Shyamal’s father, sat at the head of the table, engaging in typical conversations. Like any father and son, the two found themselves conversing on their own. Discussing things like the market, business ventures, the economy, and politics was typical. 

Wherever they were, the dinner table conversation always followed. More often then not, Punit drove Shyamal to school, the car was a complete conversational parallel to the dinner table. Talking with his dad about whatever was on the radio as they drove through the suburbs of the Hudson Valley quickly became his favorite memory he has of them together. 

When it came time for Shyamal to make a decision about what to study, he ignored the pressures from his parents to study biology like his sister. Instead, he chose to study finance. This decision ultimately and inevitably fueled those favored conversations and led to attending Marist. 

Simple expeditions such as driving through the Hudson Valley were a dream that came true for Punit and his family. Originally from the small city of Ahmedabad, India, filled with rich culture and ancient architecture, where Shyamal spent the first ten years of his life. The colorful mopeds with even more colorful, fresh perishables flooded the streets. Honking, bargaining, yelling, and laughing were the familiar sounds that Shyamal recalls while riding a moped through the Sunday markets with his mother. 

At ten years old, he and his sister Shreena, who is four years older, moved from India to Omaha. Welcomed by their aunt, the Amin family stayed with her for approximately four months before hearing of a great business opportunity. Punit’s friend, who lived in Fishkill, called and let him know about a smart business opportunity that can bring them out of the solidago state. 

“Moving here, of course, is a struggle for anyone,” Shyamal says. But the Amin family’s determination overcame that struggle. 

Learning a new culture along with the language created a spark in him that resulted in strength. 

The strength at such a young age and with a big responsibility of “keeping up,” is something that Shyamal turns back to constantly. 

Lucky for Shyamal, he was able to surround himself with supportive, long-term friends. Dylan Ortiz met Shyamal in 6th grade while chatting about video games during class. One thing led to another and they eventually went to 3rd friendship base with each other and added one another on xbox! 

“He’s a very sweet kid, he’s always there when you need something,” Dylan says. “He’s trustworthy and hardworking, all the good things. He’s my best friend.” As time went on, Dylan stood by Shyamals side as he went through bad haircuts and awkward encounters with girls – which was the perfect recipe for a lasting friendship. 

As Shyamal was growing older, his parents were grappling to treat him as so. The friendships he made in middle school followed him into high school. A group of adolescent boys who find their joy in simple things like playing video games and basketball, paying no attention to girls. 

But as time went on, they found their simple joys went on to bigger things… like parties. 

Punit and Purvi had trouble seeing eye-to-eye when it came to the teenage freedom that Shyamal dreamed of and saw in his friends. Like any defiant teen, he found a way around it through trial and error. If there’s a will, there’s a way, and his way was out of the window.  

“ I don’t remember exactly what it was, but they wouldn’t catch on to what I was lying about.  And I was like, I can keep getting away with this. So I kept doing it more, I guess,” he says about the routine for fun on a Friday night. 

Despite the sneaking around and white lies, Shyamal remained in his parents’ good graces, and by the time college rolled around, his options were limitless. Marist College was his pick; there, he would study finance, start his own club, attain internships, and study abroad.

“Is this seat taken?” Colin Campbell asked as he pulled a chair next to Shyamal during an investment center meeting. From then on, they found each other gravitating towards each other in their academic and professional endeavors. They founded the Marist Consulting Group together, spent endless hours in the library, met up for lunch at North End Dining, and eventually went to London together.

Colin, living on campus, recognized that Shyamal was not satisfied with his social life (consequences of being a commuter), and the two became inseparable. The time they spent together working tirelessly on their schoolwork became an effortless friendship. “We both push each other to do better; he wanted success as much as I did,” says Colin. It was no surprise that they ventured to London together for the semester. 

“When I told my parents about going abroad, they said yes so easily, I was so surprised, and I knew I had to take this opportunity,” Shyamal said. 

Going abroad was always on his “to-do” list. He did it with Colin and an optimistic outlook. 

Before London, Shyamal described himself as a wallflower, he preferred to observe instead of being observed. That dynamic worked well for him for a while, and in some sense it was like his social battery charging. He felt comfortable. “Sometimes it’s easier to be a wallflower because you’re not being vulnerable. You’re able to just figure everybody else out and remain almost like a mystery.” 

But when it came to packing, he packed sweaters and jeans, and left the wallflower disposition behind. Shyamal was on a high in London; he flourished and orchestrated the best time of his life as if it were a Duke Ellington piece. He was able to meet new people, further his professional goals, and drink pints with the boys! 

“It’s almost like my social battery was charging for the last ten years of my life, and it never ran out in London,” Shyamal recalls. Perspectives shifted, and he found himself prioritizing traveling and seeing the world over everything. “He would take a lime bike and just ride around Hyde Park all day,” Colin says. Shyamal was floating on a cloud during his time in London, and everyday was special.

Shyamal returned home to his full plate of palak paneer and family with hundreds of stories to tell. During dinner, their family got a phone call about his grandpa in India falling ill, his father flew back immediately in urgency. 

Unfortunately, soon enough and unexpectedly, Shyamal and the rest of his family would trek that same track in urgency for Punit. 

Punit struggled with his time in the States emotionally, and he often reminisced about how wonderful his life was back in India. “He always wanted to go back to India as soon as we graduated, so he missed it a lot,” Shyamal said. Punit’s father made the devastating call to the rest of the Amin family with tragic news and that they needed to come to India right away.

He called at 2 a.m., they were on an 11 a.m. flight the next day. 

As they drove up to the house, there were hundreds of people outside waiting for arrival. Shyamal knew right away what had happened; his panicked 14-hour flight and one-hour drive filled with unwanted nightmares turned to reality. 

Punit passed away in his room with his grandparents by his side in India, in his oasis. 

In Hinduism, it is believed that the souls of those who have passed linger for 13 days before being reincarnated. They celebrated his life for those 13 days and forever more. Following those days, they sprinkled his ashes in the river. “I believe God needed him more somewhere else, and I believe that’s why he passed,” he says. 

There is something so poetic about Punit leaving this life where he lived his life to the fullest. Shyamal has since then had self-actualizations that would not have come to him if not for his father’s passing. 

He knows now that not every day is promised; it is important to see the world, enjoy the moment, and to exhale. 

Through this, he has a different outlook on life and takes in every moment. Losing such a prominent figure in his family certainly did set him back, but with his family by his side, going through it together, it was the water that grew his family closer. 

The Amin family now sits at a dinner table that once sat four and now seats three, conversing about things all together over plates full of palak paneer. Punit’s dinner chair is still there, occupied by his spirit, his memory, his warmth, and his story that will be told forever.