BY AMELIA MATTHEWS
LOS ANGELES, CA – For Arun Asher age is irrelevant. A resident of Arcadia he tells IJ,``life does not stop at retirement and we can do what ever we want at any age.’’ At 76, Asher on Sept 28 climbed 1664 steps in 24 minutes and 18 seconds. This annual event is hosted by the YMCA called Stair Climb Day with proceeds going for charity,
LOS ANGELES, CA – For Arun Asher age is irrelevant. A resident of Arcadia he tells IJ,``life does not stop at retirement and we can do what ever we want at any age.’’ At 76, Asher on Sept 28 climbed 1664 steps in 24 minutes and 18 seconds. This annual event is hosted by the YMCA called Stair Climb Day with proceeds going for charity,
at the US Bank Building here, also known as Library Square. The building has 75 floors at the height of 1005 ft and 1664 steps. The annual charity event is open to the public to climb all 75 floors. This year about 4000 people participated and about $760,000 was raised. As Asher says ``for the last two months, participants are allowed to practice at PWC building which has 52 floors.’’
Asher was a tad disappointed this time around as in 2016 he did the climb in 20 minutes in 43 seconds.
A health and fitness enthusiast, Asher goes trekking, bikes to play tennis, swims, exercises and stretches. On the weekend, he says he hikes 10-15 miles up to 11,000 ft elevation. To the Indian-American community his message is clear and simple `` I want all Indian-Americans to enjoy this lifestyle and keep themselves engaged in such activities at any age.’’
An engineer by profession, Asher humbly spoke of his other achievements.
At the age of 67 he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa at the height of 19341 ft and at 68 he climbed base camp in Nepal and Kalapthhar at the height of 18513 ft. Then at 69, he climbed the Annapurna circuit in Nepal at the height of 17769 ft. The following year at age 70, he climbed Acancagua in Argentina at a height of 21000 ft. Going back in time, Asher spoke of how his family originally from Bhavnagar District in Gujarat, for the sake of business, made Mumbai their home. Asher was born on Dec 1, 1941, and was the eldest son of seven brothers and sisters. Raised in very poor conditions, he studied and earned to help the family. The family of ten lived in a single 12’ x 20’ room. At the age of 12, Asher had established a world record by doing 5,033 sit-ups and won a silver cup in a competition. Hardworking and determined, Asher received a diploma in civil engineering from the Government Polytechnic of Bombay and soon was employed with the Shah Construction Company. Later, a close friend, advised him to apply for a US Visa and his application was approved. Before leaving for the US, Asher married Hansa, a dentist.
He came to the US in 1970 and as was the procedure then, opened the envelope given by the Indian Consulate in front of an officer in San Francisco. He was granted a green card, which allowed permanent residence in the US. This was exceptional since it was normally difficult to achieve this status with only a diploma and not a degree. Inspired, Asher immediately started searching for a job and got a good paying construction job as a site engineer with a reputable company. Later, his wife Hansa and baby daughter Jasmine joined him in the US. They were reunited and started a new life in the US.
Asher believes that life is worth living. `` We are indebted to the generosity of many people, and I wonder if one can ever pay it back,’’ he says.
As a professional , Asher was well known in Los Angeles. His last position, before he retired, was that of Executive Vice-President of Pre-Construction Services. Asher has worked very closely with a least two well know Pritzker Award winning architects. He has had the opportunity to have dinner with them and discuss design and costs. Asher also takes great pride with having provided the pre-construction and estimation on the iconic Cathedral of Los Angeles and many other historic buildings in Los Angeles.
Asher is proud that he has inspired all his family members to get into sports so they can join him in outdoor activities. He has climbed most of the mountains in the Los Angeles area and has done the Grand Canyon, hiking down 19 miles in one day. Apart from climbing, Asher has bungee jumped in New Zealand and gone skydiving from the same plane with his daughter Jasmine. He has para-sailed and para-glided with his grand children, Ravi and Rohan. Looking at Asher today, as a friend says, ``nobody would believe that his slim, shy, quiet man possesses such strength and has this great adventurous spirit.’’
Asher was a tad disappointed this time around as in 2016 he did the climb in 20 minutes in 43 seconds.
A health and fitness enthusiast, Asher goes trekking, bikes to play tennis, swims, exercises and stretches. On the weekend, he says he hikes 10-15 miles up to 11,000 ft elevation. To the Indian-American community his message is clear and simple `` I want all Indian-Americans to enjoy this lifestyle and keep themselves engaged in such activities at any age.’’
An engineer by profession, Asher humbly spoke of his other achievements.
At the age of 67 he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa at the height of 19341 ft and at 68 he climbed base camp in Nepal and Kalapthhar at the height of 18513 ft. Then at 69, he climbed the Annapurna circuit in Nepal at the height of 17769 ft. The following year at age 70, he climbed Acancagua in Argentina at a height of 21000 ft. Going back in time, Asher spoke of how his family originally from Bhavnagar District in Gujarat, for the sake of business, made Mumbai their home. Asher was born on Dec 1, 1941, and was the eldest son of seven brothers and sisters. Raised in very poor conditions, he studied and earned to help the family. The family of ten lived in a single 12’ x 20’ room. At the age of 12, Asher had established a world record by doing 5,033 sit-ups and won a silver cup in a competition. Hardworking and determined, Asher received a diploma in civil engineering from the Government Polytechnic of Bombay and soon was employed with the Shah Construction Company. Later, a close friend, advised him to apply for a US Visa and his application was approved. Before leaving for the US, Asher married Hansa, a dentist.
He came to the US in 1970 and as was the procedure then, opened the envelope given by the Indian Consulate in front of an officer in San Francisco. He was granted a green card, which allowed permanent residence in the US. This was exceptional since it was normally difficult to achieve this status with only a diploma and not a degree. Inspired, Asher immediately started searching for a job and got a good paying construction job as a site engineer with a reputable company. Later, his wife Hansa and baby daughter Jasmine joined him in the US. They were reunited and started a new life in the US.
Asher believes that life is worth living. `` We are indebted to the generosity of many people, and I wonder if one can ever pay it back,’’ he says.
As a professional , Asher was well known in Los Angeles. His last position, before he retired, was that of Executive Vice-President of Pre-Construction Services. Asher has worked very closely with a least two well know Pritzker Award winning architects. He has had the opportunity to have dinner with them and discuss design and costs. Asher also takes great pride with having provided the pre-construction and estimation on the iconic Cathedral of Los Angeles and many other historic buildings in Los Angeles.
Asher is proud that he has inspired all his family members to get into sports so they can join him in outdoor activities. He has climbed most of the mountains in the Los Angeles area and has done the Grand Canyon, hiking down 19 miles in one day. Apart from climbing, Asher has bungee jumped in New Zealand and gone skydiving from the same plane with his daughter Jasmine. He has para-sailed and para-glided with his grand children, Ravi and Rohan. Looking at Asher today, as a friend says, ``nobody would believe that his slim, shy, quiet man possesses such strength and has this great adventurous spirit.’’
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