Will Jones
Image Credit: Dr. Abraham M. George
During a week when Hollywood celebrates achievement, Dr. Abraham M. George offered a different definition of success.
Appearing at the DPA Golden Gift Suite the week of the Golden Globes, George signed copies of his newly released memoir, “Mountains to Cross: Finding Life’s Purpose in Service,” engaging with nominees, industry leaders, media, and creatives amid the swirl of awards season. The setting was glamorous, but the message he carried was grounded in something deeper: a life devoted to service, discipline, and moral clarity.
George’s memoir traces a remarkable journey that spans continents and careers. Once an Indian Army officer stationed in the Himalayas, he survived a near-fatal dynamite accident at eighteen, an experience that would quietly shape every decision that followed. After leaving the military, he built a successful global finance career in the United States, achieving the kind of professional and financial security many people aspire to. Yet comfort was never meant to be the end of the story.
“Excuses and explanations for inaction do not suffice,” George says. That conviction ultimately led him to walk away from Wall Street and return to India, where he committed his life to dismantling intergenerational poverty through education, healthcare, and environmental reform.
At the center of that mission is Shanti Bhavan, the residential school George founded for children born into extreme poverty. Unlike many charitable models, Shanti Bhavan provides uninterrupted education from early childhood through college, along with healthcare, nutrition, and long-term mentorship. Graduates have gone on to attend top universities and break cycles of poverty that once defined their families’ futures.
George’s philosophy, which he calls “compassion in action,” rejects passive empathy. The book challenges readers to act within their capacity, whether through time, resources, or skills. “Real change happens when we stop asking, ‘What more can I get?’ and start asking, ‘What more can I give?’” he says.
This ethos resonated strongly at the DPA Golden Gift Suite the week of the Golden Globes, where George’s presence offered a refreshing perspective on what it means to be of service. Hosted by DPA Group founder Nathalie Dubois, the gifting suite has long been known for pairing entertainment with meaning, and George’s appearance underscored the power of storytelling beyond film and television.
In “Mountains to Cross,” George introduces what he calls the “50-50 life,” a framework encouraging people to devote equal parts of their energy to personal success and service to others. It is a model shaped not by theory, but by lived experience. During the 2008 financial crisis, George relied on the same business discipline that once fueled his corporate career to keep Shanti Bhavan operating, protecting the children who depended on it.
Dr. George’s work also extends into journalism, healthcare, and environmental health, areas he views as essential to sustaining social progress. He founded the Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media to strengthen a free and ethical press in India, and the Baldev Medical & Community Center, which provides healthcare services to rural communities across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. His environmental health efforts were instrumental in the removal of lead from gasoline and in establishing the National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning, reflecting a belief that meaningful change requires structural solutions.
At its core, “Mountains to Cross” is written for a range of readers, those who have achieved success and those still striving toward it. “My book is for people who’ve achieved financial success and are now wondering how to make it matter,” George says. “It also inspires younger people who aspire for success and contribute to the world.”
As awards season spotlights excellence on screen, “Mountains to Cross: Finding Life’s Purpose in Service” reminds readers that some of the most consequential stories unfold far from the spotlight. George’s memoir is not a call for admiration, but for participation.
The memoir does not offer easy answers, but it does offer clarity. “The path to accomplishing life’s purpose is paved with challenges,” George adds, “but the journey is undoubtedly worth taking.”