But then,few observations from the India trip deserve to be recorded right now,lest I forget them conveniently.
Highlights of the trip:
1)H1B stamping on the passport:
No matter what degree one holds,no matter what position one is in and no matter which fortune 500/2000 company one works for in the U.S,the U.S counsellate in Chennai scores a victory hands down,in testing the patience of the masses,with their stupid age-old system of lengthy queues and arrogant_bastards_controlled atmosphere!
The interview with the american seated in the counter was by far the easiest and comfortable phase of the day.The policeman standing in front of the gate,adjoining the Gemini flyover and the plain-clothed arrogant man accompanying him got on to my nerves quite a few times that morning with their highhanded dumb behavior ordering me not to even stand on the road with my backpack and cellfone.I refused to oblige till the end as I felt the rascals had no right to control someone standing on the road.
At the end of the ordeal,when the stamping was done successfully,I made sure that I remembered the 2 un_gentlemen and sincerely scolded them heartily with my choiciest set of publicly utterable expletives.
2)Veedu..Amma/Appa..makkal..
Of course this happens to be the next highlight.Albeit the short span of just 2 weeks ,I was able to enjoy the fullest extent of my amma/appa's company all through my stay.The sore thing was the inability of my sister to spare time for me due to her rigorous preparations for her final year exams.
Few observations..
-Both of them are getting old and the few signs of weakness in the form of elevated blood pressures or higher sugar levels really started to worry me this trip.All I could do was instruct them to take care and not spare anytime to personally take care of them.That kinda sucked and brings in a bad feeling everytime I think about it.All I can do is hope that they maintain their health and be cheerful.Apart from that,I enjoyed as usual the great food at amma's hands,'Gossip unlimited' sessions with amma,discussion about share markets and major news items with appa and 5 or 6 times a day juicy conversations with Chitra.
-Little sister is no more little!!Sisters kind of showing signs of matured thinking and responsible planning for the future,which was a pleasant finding from this trip.
-Justifying why they are termed "relatives",most aunts,uncles,cousins displayed their usual sudden show of attachment and concern,instantly making them not too close,'relative'ly speaking.
-What is shown in the TV soaps kind of made sense, upon hearing various real-life instances of cheap behavior by some 'daughter-in-laws'/aunts/uncles of the family and neighbours in the past 2 years.I feel,its a boon in disguise to be away in the U.S,as I can conveniently avoid such stupid relationship issues and unwanted gossip.
3)Metti Oli
Continuing from the previous topic of TV soaps,'Metti Oli' seems to have become every household's topic of discussion.I do not remember a single relative that I visited, who does not watch the soap and who did not discuss in length about the characters quite passionately!Leela/Gopi/Ravi/Dhanam/Saroja/Mannikam have made such an impact, mainly upon the female audiences that they would very easily win an election if they were to contest one.Almost every occurance and individual in my family,was at some time or the other,compared and contrasted to 'Metti Oli's characters and incidents!
4)Shankaracharya
Without treading upon/commenting on the real truth behind the entire episode,I am grateful and would like to thank the Tamilnadu police and TV channels for sensationalising the Shankaracharya issue and providing me with uninterrupted thrilling news and juicy updates all throughout my trip.If it was the granting bail to JS one day,the jailing of VS was next and then topping it off with an adding extra bit of masala with the broadcast of 'controversial' clips from the interrogation cell.The issue,which started off on a serious note in most of the brahmin households(read my relatives),kinda became an issue in the backburner with nobody really caring for the developments.All it was finally reduced to,in my house was some hilarious moments..
Me: "Appa, some say the Tsunami was because JJ arrested JS?
Appa: "Oh..cmon,If JS was questioned regarding this,he might acknowledge this..
"Thank God,I was put behind bars and hence remained safe!!What if I had gone anywhere near the seas to do some yagna or something!!"
On another occasion,
Me:JS is getting released and is gonna stay at some place called Thavalai..
Appa:Oh..Hope he has TV/VCR in the place.He would have missed 2 months of 'Metti Oli' and might have to catch up with them,before getting arrested again.
To a naughty/kinda mischievious cousin looking for a job..
Cousin: Maama,I am still trying for interviews..Hope I get some job soon.
Amma and me : Oh,Perfect..U r the right person!Theres 2 openings based in Kanchipuram.With the skillsets and your past experiences,you would definitely fit there.Wanna become the next Shankaracharya?
4)Tsunami..
When the disaster struck India and other southeast Asian countries,I was actually flying right over them,unaware of the sufferings of the people underneath my flight.Tsunami was a major shock of my trip,as it had taken the whole country in a state of shock and grief mode.The scenes that I saw firsthand near the Besant Nagar beach were quite heart-wrenching and the poor fishermen and their families waiting in front of the Rajaji Bhavan in Besant Nagar,spoke of the misery they had undergone.
But for the common man not directly affected by the disaster,it was just another TV news/newspaper item!
Speaking of TV,SUN TV was at its worst,with its so-called 'TSUNAMI AID' call/strip that was aired almost every 15 minutes throughout my 2 weeks of stay.The haunting music accompanying some of the worst pictures of dead floating bodies and unfortunate fishermen searching for their relatives and orphans crying uncontrollably - all brought in a sense of digusting feeling towards the channel!No consideration was given to the kids and weak-hearted who would be traumatised by the shocking visuals.All I could do was change the channel everytime the strip was aired.Agreed that it was a shocking event which altered the lives of many millions,but then there needs to be a common sense as to what extent the issue neds to be showen visually.The same held true to the daily news clips which showed a man being pounced upon and hauled by a leopard,a man lying dead under the wheels of the sand lorry that struck him etc..
5)Friends..
They are always the integral part of my trip!Met quite a few of my closest friends and had a chance to dive into those never-ending episodes of nostalgia!Got a chance to witness in realtime the ebullient phase that one of my buddies was going through,due to his upcoming shift is status from being a bachelor to a married guy!Got to accept that I did feel a kick in my rear,for not having chosen to get married like my buddy and enjoy the benefits attached to it!
Also had a chance to speak to a few and also meet a few other online friends,who had been quite close through internet,but whom I had no real face to associate with.It was a great time getting to know them in person!
There are so many other issues and memorable areas which include the Indian Restaurants,the girls in Chennai,the so called 'Ponnu Paakal'/eligible girls - curtain raiser discussions etc that come to my mind,when I think about this trip,but then this post has gone too big.Hence I am stopping right away!
-Rajesh
Posted by rajesh | 
