It's Her Birthday
There are moments in life when you pause, look back at the road you have traveled, and realize that every victory, every challenge, every improbable triumph was never yours alone. As this campaign reaches its final stretch—landing poetically on a momentous night—I am reminded that the true story of the last decade is not about politics or elections, but about a quiet, steadfast partnership that made the impossible achievable.
This is not just the story of a campaign. It is the story of a woman whose strength shaped every chapter, whose courage carried us through storms, and whose love turned ambition into purpose. Nothing I have done—nothing we have won—exists without her.
Our story began beneath the cherry blossoms of Capitol Hill—two young dreamers drawn together by curiosity, ambition, and the quiet certainty that our lives were meant for something larger. That beginning carried us to Michigan, where the early chapters of marriage and young adulthood were written, and ultimately to Silicon Valley, the place we would call home.
As Seema pursued her Master’s in Electrical Engineering at Columbia University and I completed my Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of Connecticut (read the story of the SlumDog Engineer), we never imagined how those paths would converge into the life we built together. When we arrived in Silicon Valley, we came with nothing more than a zeal for technology, unshaken optimism, and the innocent quest for fame and glory—yet what we found instead was far more meaningful: purpose, service, and a partnership capable of reshaping every expectation we once had for our future.
For almost a decade now, my wife Seema has been side by side, throughout our political journey and helped me juggle both political and community leadership, along with the pressures of a hi-tech job, while raising our family. It has been an incredible journey of togetherness, discovery and…..magic!
Through these years our interests have evolved, we treaded upon new frontiers, but we always moved in unison, lock step and barrel.
And here we are….serving people and trying to make the world a better place. Did we ever anticipate such a ride under the cherry blossom tree? Not even in our wildest dreams.
But, how did this path to community service unfold?
This path of community service started with activism — unwilling to look away when something was wrong. The impact was energizing and became my calling — with Seema reluctantly looking in. It turned into a zeal for community activities and events. Such as the Saratoga’s got Talent, raising money for the senior center. Such as the Silicon Valley Youth Tech Day, Lego Robotics Bootcamp, Entrepreneurship bootcamp for middle school and high school students. Such as a monthly Open Mic in Saratoga Village to bring net new foot traffic to help our struggling businesses. Such as the Neighborhood Safety Watch program we launched for our neighborhood or the block party we organized — an opportunity for neighbors to connect, communicate and collaborate.
Seema was the reason why these community activities worked, and did they work well! Many a times we were the only ones (with a few dear friends) left behind to “clean up the mess” but Seema only gives, without expectations. Not once did she express frustration.
And a door opened. Taking the community activism, the community organizing, and giving it a platform. Being part of an election run! Something that neither of us had ever done in our life.
Seema has been instrumental juggling her own hi-tech job with our children, home and everything else — and always with a smile.
With every election from 2013 to 2025, whether it was running for Delegate or Executive Board Member of the California Democratic party or City Council, or United States Congress, the wins became easy with her. Let us take 2014, which was in hindsight the most important run – the first political run for the Saratoga City Council. If Seema had not decided to jump into the campaign and channel our campaign into a concerted path, my win that year would have been impossible.
Admittedly, Seema was not at first keen on this public life. When I first wanted to apply to the Planning Commission in 2006, she called it out — “You don’t want to make a fool of yourself!” I am not sure who was more surprised between the two of us when I was appointed.
Community ideas started manifesting in the Kumar home and Seema played along, little knowing where it was going.We launched an open mic monthly gathering at Blue Rock Shoot, and she was present at every event, in spite of a tiring day. We were singing and dancing to keep it lively and fun — we were gaining new skills. This led to our first large scale community event, “Saratoga’s Got Talent,” raising money for the Saratoga Senior Center. I was overly stressed about it for months — this was the first such venture with the additional pressure of raising funds — but she always maintained equanimity, an eye for the details and ensuring that every event ended well.
When I ran for Delegate and Executive Board member of the California Democratic party, Seema was rallying friends to show up at the caucus voting. With thousands at the voting, folks frustrated with long lines, Seema stayed with the people, chatting, smiling, and ensuring that folks were going to stay and cast their vote. Lo and behold, with 43 running that year in 2013, we ended up on the top spot — the Executive Board member of the California Democratic Party (AD28).
As a councilmember, when I launched the Neighborhood Watch program effort to drop Saratoga burglaries, it meant inviting neighborhoods to a safety discussion. Once again Seema was with me as we went door to door — hundreds of homes in each neighborhood sometimes — inviting neighbors to the neighborhood meeting. Rain or shine, Seema never hesitated, but also found a way to optimize and engage the larger populace into the effort.We did over a hundred neighborhood meetings in the span of 18 months — with the help of hundreds of neighbors and friends. We dropped burglaries by 47% — the largest drop compared to any other Silicon Valley city. It changed Saratoga — now neighbors knew their neighbors. We had elevated the happiness index of Saratoga in some ways.
And the 2018 re-election win still makes amazing memory. Seema was at her A-game as we executed a precision campaign knocking on every door in Saratoga that had never been accomplished before. Our Saturday morning, Breakfast of Campaigns in our backyard was an event that attracted very many friends and a few strangers — soon to be friends. After a sumptuous breakfast, we would get out to walk & knock, clipboard in hand, campaign material and a smile. What?? We got the most votes in the 60 years election history of Saratoga? A lot of the credit goes to her — pretty obvious.
And just a few months later, the congressional campaign began. It was too soon—too intense, too demanding—but Seema, being the unwavering partner she is, understood something profound: there is never a perfect time for big missions, only a perfect commitment. We came within just 19,000 votes of unseating a decades-long incumbent, earning 102,000 votes. Yes, we fell short, but what we gained was even more meaningful: the experience of standing shoulder-to-shoulder, fighting for a shared cause, discovering the strength and beauty of pursuing something bigger than ourselves—together.
And now, here we are again, in the Assessor’s race. And once again, Seema is doing everything she possibly can. Even when I was sick with malaria—shuttling from ER to ER, hospital to hospital, exhausted and bedridden for six long weeks—she was the one holding everything together talking to doctors, talking to her relatives and friends for advice, pushing the doctors to think a little harder. She handled every detail, asked every question, made sure no stone was left unturned while I grappled with the parasite that had depleted my RBCs. And the election campaign was pushed to the wayside.
But with her by my side, miracles happen. Our campaign didn’t truly get going full speed until three weeks before the election, when I was finally almost fully recovered. Yet despite spending only a fraction—about 10%—of what my opponent poured into their campaign, we still came out on top. It was nothing short of a miracle, given that I couldn’t campaign at all for six crucial weeks.
Some of the posts on Nextdoor and Reditt were downright flummoxed, with people scrambling to figure out what on earth had just happened. No one expected it! Thanks to Seema’s care and strength, I came back roaring.
And now, in this runoff, fully recovered and 100%, our campaign has taken on a new life. We are pushing forward with renewed purpose—and victory in sight.
Yes, it takes two to tango. And it takes two to win. And that is exactly what our team—and Seema—intend to do on December 30th… which also happens to be her birthday.
Make sure to wish her happy birthday! It’s going to be an incredible celebration—a win for the campaign, a win for the people, and a birthday gift that marks the beginning of a bold new chapter for our county and for California.
