His deadline is Dec. 25.

If nothing happens by Christmas Day, Kamal Agnihotri says he'll be on a plane, flying back home to India. For 12 years he's been clinging to the "Canadian dream" of building a professional life for himself. He's the Canadian prototype of the overqualified cab driver, the unmined talent who's become disillusioned after having the doors closed on him one too many times.

Agnihotri is new to the taxi industry. He's only been driving with Royal Taxi for the last six months. He greets his passengers with a warm, soft-spoken hello and inquires politely after their destination. The thing that keeps him behind the wheel, he says, is the story of a driver who got a new car from a generous American passenger.

"I always think that, maybe today, I'll meet someone who gives me a chance," says the 49-year-old. "But after December 25, it's the end of the game.""

Agnihotri speaks about his situation with an air of resignation, and it's obvious he feels defeated.

He pulls out the University of Toronto-stamped diploma in computer applications and graphic design, as well as the Humber College 3D Animation certificate he completed in the late 1990s. Despite the skills upgrades, the best he was able to find was work as a printer and production co-ordinator at printing presses.

He had worked for eight years in India as a graphic designer before coming to Toronto, for clients like Air India, and electronics firm Televista. His is a "riches to rags" story, he says, having come from a long line of overachievers, starting with his father who's a newspaper journalist and author in Calcutta. His family doesn't know he drives a cab here in Toronto.

He likens his departure from home to a soldier gone off to war, with a gun slung over his shoulder looking for fame and glory.

"But, I've lost the war," he says, and can't bear the thought of returning with his tail between his legs. Though he started driving thinking it would be easy money, he's since learned it can be a thankless job at times.

"It looks like an easy job, but it's the most difficult job I've ever had," says the former white-collar professional. "There are too many risks involved."

Still, Agnihotri takes the cab out every day between 4:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. hoping his "someday" will come before Christmas. He hasn't booked a plane ticket for India — yet.