Name any family from your village, town, city, apartment complex or anywhere, chances are they will have someone in America - son, daughter, brother, sister, nephew, niece or cousin. And, each family will have a ready tally of trips they made to US so far. It is thus in our interest to know how their offsprings or siblings are faring in the US. An average Indian family in US earns annually USD 90k as against 50k by a US family. Reasons? Keenness to stay in competition, efforts to be head and shoulders above the crowd, equip oneself better with technology updates. Kudos. They have only reasons to feel proud of giving a good account of themselves. Mind you, these are not my words, but a forwarded US TV telecast clipping.
Yes, TV telecast was what kept us glued on November 8 evening when the US Presidential election results began trickling in. Nail-biting indeed, this time. Aunty and I watched it till 11 pm before retiring to bed. We requested our son to wake us up as soon as the final result was announced. And he did, at 1 pm, “It is Donald Trump, Appa”. Going by exit polls, media reports, analyses, etc. Hilary had an edge over Donald, and many thought America was all set to make history electing a lady President. But that was not to be.
Donald Trump’s rhetoric that he would abolish Obamacare health insurance scheme, prosecute Hilary for the supposed email scam all of which we thought were not in good taste coming as it did from a Presidential candidate, had apparently gone well with the public at large. But the post-election 60-minute interview revealed a transformation. The spew and hyperbole had yielded place to sobriety and self-restraint that a President-elect should ideally be in command.
While we wait with bated breath what is in store for US and the world at large vis-a-vis promises and implementation, on the home front peoples the world over are overawed by Modi ji’s undaunted performance matching his election promise - to root out black money. At the blink of eyes, he delivered a death blow to hoarders of black money by scrapping 500 and 1000 notes. Meanwhile, Congress, with its one-point agenda to oppose anything and everything coming from the Modi stable, is busy mobilising the fragmented other opposition force that the move is inconveniencing the farmers, the office goers and others. The supposed entity that they are gearing up to fight for, the people, on the other hand have welcomed the move with open arms, and are braving the temporary inconvenience. Back in their own barn, Congress’ erstwhile spokesman, a legal luminary in his own right, is battling with the Income tax authorities that natural course of justice has been denied to him - to accept his contention that he is unable to provide accounts for his 96-crore worth of assets, as termites had eaten away the documents. Despite temporary setbacks, people are joyous at PM’s initiative.
Yes, joy and gaiety aptly describe the mood of people in the US as well, though for a different reason. Thanksgiving and Black Friday are on the cards. The story goes about Black Friday that, after an entire year of operating at a loss (“in the red”) stores would supposedly earn a profit (“went into the black”) on the day after Thanksgiving, because holiday shoppers blew so much money on discounted merchandise.
Online and in-store deals are aplenty. They say this is the best season to buy one’s annual requirements, though that never happens. However, unasked for, our grandchildren are finalising their own list. The parents, in turn, are adopting the same gimmick we subjected them to, viz., barter it for a promise of better performance in studies. As for us, when we left Bangalore we swore to ourselves, “No more acquisitions - Black or White Friday”. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we won’t succumb to discount-driven rather than need-based purchases. Anyway, that is a week away.
As for things of the recent past, the Indian community in the city celebrated Diwali in style. Nearly ten families - x 4, plus visiting parents (total nearly 50) - met at a house. It was their turn to host the get-together. The gathering split effortlessly into four - the children flocking together in a closed room to let their high-decibel activities disturb none. The ladies gathered in the kitchen discussing the recipes of dishes they attempted recently. The new-generation heads of families closeted together in the living room to discuss if Hilary or Donald would make it, and to keep themselves abreast of technological advancements. The visiting parents made themselves comfortable in the front room and chatted… “When I was in the Army,” or “When I was the Joint Secretary…” , some forgetting half way what they wanted to share - a precursor to the rest, of what is to befall them). Soon, children and the elderly were invited for a priority treat. Everyone felt the pot-luck dinner was worth waiting for. This was followed by lighting sparkles at the backyard at 10.45 pm. For strategic reasons fireworks were avoided, either as a mark of respect to neighbours, or fear of them dialling 911.
V V Sundaram
Maple 3195
16 Nov 2016
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