Something struck! I realized, there are numerous life changing incidents that I encounter every once in a while. However, I never seem to understand the lesson each of them tries to teach. Until one day, it occurred to me that I should 'Blog and then brood' so that others can associate to what I feel, thus facilitating chained pondering.
It's our 5th
The day when a 7 hour long phone call changed my life! This day comes and goes past every year but it fills me with fresh life every time. When I traverse through my timeline, I feel so happy that I don't have to search for the moments to cherish. They are right in front of me on a show-reel; All I need to do is sit back,watch the show and relive all those moments. We have evolved from long phone conversations to emails, to skype, to face time, to Gtalk, to a live-in relationship and to a marriage and the Love is still in the air :)
The Blind Side
The process of hand holding and pointing has been an age old practice and is a coherent part of everyone's lifestyle. What I cannot comprehend are the seemingly trivial aspects that ebb out of people's perceptions. Everytime I notice something, I realize that it is not how I was told to perceive. Then, I end up correlating the present state of mind to the experiences of my past and I can clearly observe the disparity.
Jugalbandits
Has been sitting in the drafts section for a while and it decided to see the dawn today, so here it is. "Jugalbandi", if you don't know, is an act / performance by two or more musicians where the performance is not clearly performed by just one person alone. The title, however, differs its diction relating to the various happenings across the nation. "Bandit", as per wikipedia, is a lawless desperate marauder. So you get the drill?
Deccan's Chronicles
Just back from lunch with the fellas at work.Some come from Mumbai, some from Kolkatta, a few from Delhi and me from, you know where. All of them were taking turns ranting about their respective cities and someone mentioned "Hyderabad", the industrial hub. Esoterically, I wanted to add, that is not the city that is worth a mention. There are several scoops about the city which makes it vivacious and surely on par when it comes to knocking heads with other metros. I reckoned, they ought to know about the city and its inhabitants who are the most laid-back, sluggish and dildaar people on planet earth. I wanted to see how the birthplace of Ma-ki-kirkiri, Yaaro, Baingan, Phatte and Dimakh Kharab can blow one's mind with its civilization.
Pride and Prejudice
The "About Me" question in the networking sites is like the "Tell me about yourself" question that I'm usually asked in the job interviews. While I'm being watched and judged in both the situations; I take pride in one and prejudiced about the other. Did you ever speculate within yourself about why you sport contrasting shams at every point in life? I always wondered!
'NRI'volution
5 and a half years of watching people of different ages, in different situations and of different lifestyles; I had to seek inspiration from Mr. Darwin to render my theory about the subjects of my faction - 'NRI'volution.
Over the past 2 decades, the number of "International Aliens" from India has been tremendously growing and the whole "culture shock" process doesn't seem to be a concern anymore. I believe, In the process of getting accustomed, every NRI traverses through one or more of these phases during their journey; voluntarily or involuntarily.
Phase 1:
Over the past 2 decades, the number of "International Aliens" from India has been tremendously growing and the whole "culture shock" process doesn't seem to be a concern anymore. I believe, In the process of getting accustomed, every NRI traverses through one or more of these phases during their journey; voluntarily or involuntarily.
Phase 1:
- Staring at everything and everyone, this is something that every Indian goes through (Remember? staring at every person boarding the bus or peeping into houses / windows while you pass or glancing at everyone who looks slightly indifferent)
- If it is a guy, every white girl looks beautiful to him (as one of my friend terms it - A 'Speed Breaker')
- Every dollar spent is converted into rupees
- "If it were in India" is your favorite line for the next few months
- Frequency of catching up with friends / family back home - atleast once a week
- Walmart and Kohls are the places of Awe
- Taking pictures and sharing them is your latest hobby
- Shopping at Aeropostale and Old Navy IS a big deal
- You take pride in twisting your tongue while speaking English so that people understand you
- Taco bell and Mc Donalds are the only restaurants you know
Phase 2:
- Hi transforms into Hey, Curd becomes Yogurt and the first words out of your mouth are "Whats up!"
- Hip-hop is the new cult
- Your pants go down your waist by an inch or two and you are not worried about your innerwear showing out
- You are past Aeropostale and like it at American Eagle
- Attitude is your new language
- Trip to India is the next thing on the calendar
- Parties on Friday nights is your slogan and pubs are your entertainment hubs
- Hitting the bed at early hours and waking up at noon is the trending regime and you are proud of it
- You visit deals2buy and sister websites atleast once a week
Phase 3:
- Poker is the new religion
- Cricket's out and Football (American) is in
- You are more concerned about fitness than you ever were
- Photography is the new found passion
- Smart phones and Expensive cars are the latest prides
- Hollister and A&F are the only brands that fit you
- You prefer watching sports to playing and if you are playing something it is on X-box / Wii
- Sporting Hair / beard is your new style quotient
- Green Card is the next thing on your bucket list
- The new jinx is heading back home versus making this your home
- You are more active in political matters or debating about national progress and social causes, on facebook!
- You bring in the accent while talking to desis too
Phase 4:
- Teaching your mother tongue to your kids seems impossible, which is your major concern - keeping the traditional spirits alive is important!
- All the long lasting ties tend to start disappearing
- Golf is your new found love
- You tip well at restaurants, now!
- Worrying about the accent is long gone
- Stocks is the new language you speak
- Desis are boring, you choose to live in a hideout
- Lazyboys, Plasma TVs, Backyards and Minivans are new possessions
- Suddenly, Whole Foods is what you feed on.
- Decaf and Diet Coke are the staple sips
Phase 5:
- You travel in nothing but business class
- You are more concerned about your district's mayor than the Prime Minister of India
- You are just happy that your bride / groom is a desi
- You are probably the most cultured desis on the foreign lands
- 90% chances are that you are a doctor / own a restaurant / run a motel
- All your donations go towards spiritual institutions
- If it is not home or office, it is temple.
But whatever we do and wherever we are, one must remember that; "Once an Indian, Always an Indian!"