Many such instants!!These are the only things that an Indian in America will be able to get his hands on.These are like the "feel-good-factor" placebos which have no real effect upon us.They just give us a small sample of happiness which cannot be explained much better than the tamil phrase - "alpa sandhosham"!
This is not just limited to just instants,but hold true for some instances too!!The celebrations here in the U.S.A for Diwali,the gettogether at temples for Holi,the Indian association's Independence day event etc etc in the U.S - All these instances are just unconvincing attempts at cheating oneself.There is no way that these events are even going to match a simple 'Sunday afternoon visit to Paati's house' or a 'grahapravesham function of an uncle'!I attended a few of these 'experience Indianness in the U.S' events,but lately ,have started feeling an aversion to these pathetic shows.These are neither a tad authentic as their Indian counterparts nor are they memorable enough!
Everything has changed since I came to the U.S and the question that arises repeatedly is..Is this change for the better or Is it an irriversible change that gradually makes me realise about every simple but enjoyable stuff that I am missing?
I was going through an email from one of my closest buddies in India,who did a pretty good job of boasting about his weekend trip to his amma/appa's place.
Some of the elements from his email that are worth mentioning are
-the 3 or 4 times through the day that his mom served him with wonderful coffee in a Davara..
-the Onion sambar and Aalu fry combo that the lucky moron got to devour upon...
-the special Bonda and snacks from his Aunt,who lives nearby..
-the 2 hrs that he spent watching his favorite movie with his folks,seated on his Sofa and munching the 'Karuvadams'(vathals)..
-the warm and gentle pressing that his tired legs got,at the hands of his mom ,when he lay reading his favorite tamil Magazine..
There were many such things in that email,which kind of made me feel nostalgic and even jealous of him!Simple things in life which any Indian would prefer at any point of time!But it is such simple but memorable occasions that bring a distinct contrast between the Indian and American life of a desi!Many have heard me talk about this issue and most of the times,the simple answer had been .."Get married!You will get over such feelings!".But then,that is yet another placebo.
Previously,if it was one person mising all the fun,the situation after marraige gets reduced to 2 confused souls feeling miserable and searching for the 'alpa santhoshams' together!
India...I really miss you!May it be a Karadayam Nombu, a navaratri, a birth of a nephew or even a horrible event such as a death of an uncle,life in here has been reduced to that exclusive weekend phone call which is actually a collage of many different emotional issues - Some pleasant/Some disturbing!
The quest for the elixir continues,with ample doses of pathetic placebos all along the journey!
-Raapi
[My maternal uncle passed away yesterday in India, due to a heart attack. :(((
My heart goes for all my near and dear ones,who are still crying their hearts out!All I was able to do upon reading the email carrying the dreadful news, was to close my eyes for a few minutes,recollect some pleasant events of the past involving him, shed a few drops of tears and make a phone call!!]
Posted by rajesh | 
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