Today in Expats Stories, we have the joy to talk with our new friend Steve Satya, from India, he every year organizes the Festival of India in Varna (this year was the 5th edition), to introduce the Indian culture to locals and foreigners.
Name and nationality:
My name is Steve Satya, from Mumbai, India.
Tell us a bit about you and what you do
it is difficult to say what I do, right now in Bulgaria I’m taking care of many things, one of the most important is the Festival of India, we organize it every year and the idea behind it is to introduce the people from Varna to the Indian culture.
The festival is open to everybody and is a combination of music, dance lectures, and workshops, it’s a 2 days festival and people enjoy it a lot.
Do you know in 2020 when it will be the festival?
We try to organize it at the beginning of autumn, to enter the season with new energy.
Why and when did you come to Bulgaria?
There is always a woman in your life pushing you somewhere, actually, I was living in Dubai and in 2007 my journey with Bulgaria started, I meet a Bulgarian woman there and we started meeting and dating and so on, and finally I’m here because of her, she is from Bulgaria and she lives in Varna.
I move definitely to Bulgaria in 2013 to continue our lives here.
What do you like about India and Bulgaria?
I don’t want to compare, India and Bulgaria have their own identity, India is east and Bulgaria west, India is much more spiritual than any another part of the world, for example, if you see a man walking on the street and he sees a temple he will bow and say Namaste to the temple.
Bulgaria and India also have similarities, in the sense of the family structure, we can see families living together which is very important.
India has got a sea, mountains, and Bulgaria also, but on a smaller scale.
I never miss India when I’m in Bulgaria.
What was the most difficult bureaucratic procedure you have undergone so far in Bulgaria?
Anywhere you go when you don’t know the language and culture, traditions and value system, it will always be conflict, not as a person, but conflict of thoughts and ideas and many other things, but keeping that in mind you need to find the local system and how it works, adapt and get the things done.
I have just one big complain, I’m trying to get my drivers license for a long time, without success, I have two master degree, and both of them aren’t valid as an education proof for the driver’s license here, it’s sad, then want my 10th-grade marks which I don’t keep those records, and it’s very difficult to get them from India, I ask them to accept my master degree as proof of education, but they refuse.
The system should be designed for the convenience of people.
Mention one important experience you’ve had in Bulgaria :
Bulgaria changes my life, let me explain to you, in my opinion, there is not a material world it’s a spiritual world.
when I came to Bulgaria, I use to be an investment banker, so I travel around the world because of that, and when I came here my whole path change, I’m doing more spiritual things now, motivating and spiring people, doing yoga, meditation.
This change my path and I’m happy and Bulgaria introduces me to this area.
If you have the chance to change something in Bulgaria, what it will be?
Overall Bulgaria has very nice people, they want to do things, they move from communism to democracy, there are lots of challenges and conflicts, but keeping that in mind, I want to convey one message for everybody and is that: tall buildings and good road don’t make a develop nation, developed nation will be when people evolved their mind, you have to grow in spirituality, not in material things.
How is your Bulgarian and if you speak other languages?
I speak a little Bulgarian, survival Bulgarian, if I take the bus, go to a restaurant I can survive. Of course English and seven languages from India.
How is your business going?
Is all about connecting with people, and it isn’t easy when you are new, I face my challenges, but you need to be persistent and believe in what you are doing, and you will find your way and you will succeed.
We need to connect with the local people, when they get to know you and trust you, things get very smooth.
Now we are at Satya Namaste Shop (Mall Varna floor -2), here the idea is to introduce people to high dimension concepts, raising people from low chakra to high chakra. from the material to the spiritual, to bring balance in life.
I also do many lectures, workshops, and seminars in Bulgaria and I’m the author of the recently launched book, that has been translated into the Bulgarian language.
The whole idea is to make the world a better place and why not start in the place you are living in.
What advice would you give to other people who would like to come to live in Bulgaria?
You will get a dollar for a cent if you come here, what I’m trying to say is that wherever you do or work every sweat we put in, it will provide you good quality of life, and if you understand that, my own experience is that with little I’m having a very good quality of life.
In terms of family, friends, and social life, Bulgaria has a low cost of living that you will never get anywhere.
