the world's grown out of the snake charmers....

lord Shiva played his drums and the sound which it made led to the invention of the language sanskrit. this was told to me 2 months ago in a land which is millions of miles away from India, in north east U.S, bordering Canada by an 18 year old part american part Argentian red head. That says something about the global village we live in. but thats not the point, the fact is that we are a land not in Asia (according to people in america) and the global hub of outsourcing.

The reason I mentioned the red head is not because shes hot...which she is but she knows things about India which I bet majority of educated Indians wouldn't know. the 10 minute conversation that I had with her was an amazing lesson in how we are a land so complex that the girls sister has spent a whole summer out of the  10 years in India just to understand the harmony between cows and cars on a crowded Indian road. the things I will speak about now are a compilation of things which have happened and which speak a lot about the global impression of India. The world looks at us with so much respect almost bordering at fear. fear that we will take their jobs and rule the world in the next 20 years.
one of my friends from a south american nation told me with apparent disappointment and envy  that people in most parts of the world cannot think of their family beyond two generations and their grandfathers migration from a European country, while in India each household has a mythological story to tell. the conversation led to another important discussion, that of India not being high on the science and technology research list even though India spoke about nuclear arms and technology during 'Mahabhartha' itself and believe me when I say this, the person who told all this to me hasn't even been to India. Another such moment of surprise was when a guy from New York was up at 2 in the morning to watch the cricket world cup final, supporting both India and Sri Lanka because he learnt the drums from Sri Lanka and the Tabla from Lucknow.
A late friend of mine recited this Latin phrase 'ad astra per aspara' meaning rough roads lead to the stars. and many years later this phrase was interpreted by my boss at work (who is american) from the Bhagwad Gita saying that milk lasts without getting spoilt  for 2 hours, the same milk made as curd lasts for 2 days, the curd made into butter lasts for a week and the butter made as 'ghee' lasts a lifetime.

Castle.. CSI and multiple re-runs of HYIMYM

'the great American dream' is a cliche used and reused multiple times with  middle class Indians who have been the quintessential 'lukhas' for four years and dragged themselves through the echelons of 'high grade'graduate education in India.

One day lightening strikes on them , 'I need to do something different with my life'. Something which only millions of Indians before me have done. Go to the U.S earn the stack of green leaves, get a green card and paint the SF bay area green...(sorry guys!!! just wanted to continue with the 'green' tone for a few lines). So they mug up tons of English words, puke it out in 3 hours of the GRE and few months and a few thousand rupees of application stationary waste later, wolah...!!! they are on the road to the U.S of A. the first thought that strikes every guy or girl who has gone through this process is that his or her life would be like the cult show 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S'. A bunch of friends who hang out all the time, have fun, pop in a few beers, score a girl every other night and basically have a life of which dreams are made of. In the minds of these young souls, they have made their own version of a Bollywood potboiler. guy goes to the u.s, studies, make a lot of money, gets his green card and a few years and a few million dollars later comes to India on a whirlwind trip of 15 days and gets married thinking that girls are just waiting outside the airport to marry a guy with a green card and then credits role with a happily ever after sign...Little do they know that this life it isn't a potboiler but an Art film full of struggle, boredom, torture and most importantly 'HAIR LOSS'.

So coming back to the journey, after the truck loads of 'aartis', garlands and sobbing relatives later, you are on that flight. Realization strikes you very fast, when you realize that the air hostess is happy to offer you a Pepsi but isn't as forthcoming in offering you water and you think 'WATER', the thing that I waste gallons after gallons of, hopelessly during Holi.(you see I live in the U.S so the units are 'gallons and not litres'...LOL!!!!). You finally land at your destination after multiple hops all around the world and a feeling of a zombie which you later realize is what jet lag is all about. The first few days are just filled with the excitement of a new kid in a toy store. you want to try everything, every drink (please don't make the mistake of trying Dr. Pepper.. It is liquid IODEX), food item and see everything. finally school starts. the thing that you have actually come here for. you decide to wear the best of outfits that in India would have made you strut like a peacock and when you finally reach your university, the balloon bursts. guys are in shorts and some weird tee and the girls...ahem ahem.. lets not even get to their clothes or rather the lack of it. then the classes begin. another balloon bursts, you thought colleges will be like those shown in those teen flick Hollywood movies, certainly not..you find  extra intelligent classmates who fantasize about Maxwell, Einstein and the likes. So there begins the aptly named season 'FALL'.

As for your home, you become this invincible superhero, a combination of shantabai- the maid, ramu-the cook, chotu- the dhobi and many such thankless people from back home. The same grocery store where you refused to accompany your mom because you wanted to hang out with friends now becomes a place where you roam hopelessly looking for 'GREAT VALUE' products. that same kitchen sink where you just threw your plate like a frisby now becomes a place where you hold your breath and choke out the sewage and clean utensils till your hands peel off and when you finally wind down to call it a day.. it strikes you that you have a project to work on so you put on the study lamp and after a night, a third grade project and huge dark circles later you barely have energy left to pick yourself off that study table.

Your best friend through all this struggle is your laptop. that thing which you never switch off. that which sleeps off besides you on your bed and which is your largest source of entertainment through these times. It is the device that runs those episodes of your favorite american shows and also reruns them for you tirelessly.. and when you finally shut that laptop lid at night before your eyes shut you still dream of that Bollywood potboiler of getting a green card....... such is the 'American Dream'....