Humans of AISG: Vibhor “Sai” Sehgal

This year is Vibhor “Sai” Sehgal’s second year as an AISG learning mentor, he goes to classes where the teachers are displaced due to the coronavirus pandemic and assists them in teaching.

He modified his last name to “Sai” because how people he worked with within China has trouble pronouncing “Sehgal”, so he used his childhood nickname “Sai”. Mr. Sehgal believes his friends would describe him as a “disciplined, focused, and serene” person.

Before the career of a learning mentor, Mr. Sehgal established an office for a company he was working for, he managed that office for 10 years before he decided to pursue a career of his own. His previous managing experience allowed him to be a successful learning mentor, his main aim in activities and competitions is a “win-win” outcome. He talks about how “you are only as good as your weakest member”, so a positive relationship in a team leads to the success of that team.

One of the main reasons why Mr. Sehgal joined the Ram community is because his daughter Subah Sehgal is also a Ram, who graduated in 2017. As he witnessed Subah blossom into a fine young woman throughout middle school and high school, he thought being a member of the Ram nation would improve his insights into his daughter’s childhood, and he could also have a sense of how it is like to be a Ram.

Mr. Sehgal mentioned how nearly two decades ago communication was limited, so most people in New Delhi (including himself) back then only knew two cities in China— Shanghai and Hong Kong. When he first arrived in Guangzhou 16 years ago, he was not sure how things were going to turn out, since he had no idea where and what Guangzhou was.

One challenge he faced when arriving at Guangzhou was adjusting to the food patterns, because he is a vegetarian, and slowly gravitating towards vegan. He found it difficult at first to find vegetarian food, as he eventually made friends, who helped him with the adjustment of his vegetarian diet.

When asked about his favorite food, Mr. Sehgal talked about a traditional Indian dish named Rajmah Chawal, which is essentially red kidney bean curry served with rice. He would usually have this dish on Sunday or at least once a week.

Mr. Sehgal’s favorite place in Guangzhou is a weekend walk on Shamian Island, he enjoys the scenic view provided by the riverside and finds it soothing to his mind.

When you see him around the school, feel free to greet him!