Vasu Reddy
from Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com
Howsoever I look at myself I am a child of India. My mother and my mother country remain what they are. Ten thousand miles, still make me a child of India. Moving with a small suitcase and a black Samsonite in my hand to the USA to go to school, was not a frequent practice when I came (it is now such a common thing, and no longer in need of a bus full of well-wishers sending you off at the airport) and I did not feel any novelty of a foreign student. When in stepped out of the airport and saw familiar faces to bring me in and send me off to school next day (in a bus) I did not feel anything new. When I went to school, worked and did the same things as every other kind in school, I did not feel any different. My English was salted to the British for the first semester and quickly disappeared, and I did not feel any different. I finished school (two degrees) and worked, and grew up, travelled and did everything I believe I was supposed to, and good, bad, ugly and whatever life had in store for me, and I was always embracing the next day as it came. I knew I had to live as life presented, and to date just do that. Life to very one is unique in its own experiences and challenges, and mine was just that, and I accept it as is, and try to derive comfort from family and friends, and strangers as they whisk in and out. Overall, there was nothing challenging or out of the ordinary to move from place to place, country to country and work, life, sickness and health and family. All a part of life and it goes on. Every instance another page, experience and part of on-going life.
My mother lives in India and the new generation of telephony allows for more frequent voice calls. Every week we catch up on the same stuff, kids, health and weather and relatives. I am happy to say there is nothing new, but an occasional mother and son health related updates, but by and large we have nothing that we think has changed, except the children growing up and each season’s weather. We love our extended family and simply check to see how everyone is, and that’s all the best news I have every week. We live far away, but we have our routines and one thing every week in common is that she can’t travel to the USA and stay with us. All in all, life is just simple and weeks on we have something to talk about (except occasional happening with the big family) but I admit I am happy the way things are. We don’t worry too much about what is happening in USA or India, as we have little control over what happens (only one vote in each country) and seldom talk about the local or national issues.
While the new smart phones allow of communications quickly and easily and inexpensive, along with language translators that are sometimes necessary, the social media also has become a forum for easy opinions and commentary. As someone who blogs regularly, I do have my own opinions, and they are both political and personal. My likes and dislikes are in each column I write, and they are just my thoughts and opinions, and often lean democratic. Social justice, opportunity and remembrance are the soul of what I aspire to write, and not critique. The hundreds of columns I wrote simply represent my current state of mind, and the week’s wordsmithing. I love to write and read and I hope I will for the rest of my life.
While the social media allows for effortless way to comment, it also allows for serious debates on how individuals feel about where they live and what the just saw. India and USA and everywhere in the world are separate places. While social media like Facebook allows for acquainting with a lot of strangers, it is also a forum to thought and opining, and as there is a room for some 5,000 people to befriend on an account, it also has become an easy forum to critique.
Much of the comments are tilted to the nations inability to control traffic, rains, weather, behavior, nature and abuses, and with huge sections on politics and corruption. It is granted that very nation has its own way of life and things to deal with, individuals placing a nation they migrated to verses a place of birth, is silly. India is India and USA is USA, or Canada is Canada and wherever you are outside of India is that’s what it is. You have a choice to live where you want to, and let India be India. Politics, corruption and life is what it is and unless you want to contribute to what you are criticizing just let it be. Just because of a social media forum, your opinion doesn’t mean anything but just typing, it is what it is, and unless every citizen tries to make a positive effort, then it is simply back seat driving. If you don’t like Canada, India or USA or wherever just go somewhere else and see if you find Utopia.
I am a child of India and an adult of USA. If you don’t like one place or the other go somewhere else. No one is stopping. If you don’t like the rain in Andhra or in Chicago, I am sure there are places on earth that have little or no rain, just go there. If you don’t like politics of Delhi or Washington, find someplace on South or North pole where there is no one and no politics. If you don’t like the people where you live, find a desolate place. Whatever it is you don’t like, find a place you do, and that’s all. I know for sure there is no Utopia on earth and for those of you searching for one, good luck.
vasureddy@aol.com
Howsoever I look at myself I am a child of India. My mother and my mother country remain what they are. Ten thousand miles, still make me a child of India. Moving with a small suitcase and a black Samsonite in my hand to the USA to go to school, was not a frequent practice when I came (it is now such a common thing, and no longer in need of a bus full of well-wishers sending you off at the airport) and I did not feel any novelty of a foreign student. When in stepped out of the airport and saw familiar faces to bring me in and send me off to school next day (in a bus) I did not feel anything new. When I went to school, worked and did the same things as every other kind in school, I did not feel any different. My English was salted to the British for the first semester and quickly disappeared, and I did not feel any different. I finished school (two degrees) and worked, and grew up, travelled and did everything I believe I was supposed to, and good, bad, ugly and whatever life had in store for me, and I was always embracing the next day as it came. I knew I had to live as life presented, and to date just do that. Life to very one is unique in its own experiences and challenges, and mine was just that, and I accept it as is, and try to derive comfort from family and friends, and strangers as they whisk in and out. Overall, there was nothing challenging or out of the ordinary to move from place to place, country to country and work, life, sickness and health and family. All a part of life and it goes on. Every instance another page, experience and part of on-going life.
My mother lives in India and the new generation of telephony allows for more frequent voice calls. Every week we catch up on the same stuff, kids, health and weather and relatives. I am happy to say there is nothing new, but an occasional mother and son health related updates, but by and large we have nothing that we think has changed, except the children growing up and each season’s weather. We love our extended family and simply check to see how everyone is, and that’s all the best news I have every week. We live far away, but we have our routines and one thing every week in common is that she can’t travel to the USA and stay with us. All in all, life is just simple and weeks on we have something to talk about (except occasional happening with the big family) but I admit I am happy the way things are. We don’t worry too much about what is happening in USA or India, as we have little control over what happens (only one vote in each country) and seldom talk about the local or national issues.
While the new smart phones allow of communications quickly and easily and inexpensive, along with language translators that are sometimes necessary, the social media also has become a forum for easy opinions and commentary. As someone who blogs regularly, I do have my own opinions, and they are both political and personal. My likes and dislikes are in each column I write, and they are just my thoughts and opinions, and often lean democratic. Social justice, opportunity and remembrance are the soul of what I aspire to write, and not critique. The hundreds of columns I wrote simply represent my current state of mind, and the week’s wordsmithing. I love to write and read and I hope I will for the rest of my life.
While the social media allows for effortless way to comment, it also allows for serious debates on how individuals feel about where they live and what the just saw. India and USA and everywhere in the world are separate places. While social media like Facebook allows for acquainting with a lot of strangers, it is also a forum to thought and opining, and as there is a room for some 5,000 people to befriend on an account, it also has become an easy forum to critique.
Much of the comments are tilted to the nations inability to control traffic, rains, weather, behavior, nature and abuses, and with huge sections on politics and corruption. It is granted that very nation has its own way of life and things to deal with, individuals placing a nation they migrated to verses a place of birth, is silly. India is India and USA is USA, or Canada is Canada and wherever you are outside of India is that’s what it is. You have a choice to live where you want to, and let India be India. Politics, corruption and life is what it is and unless you want to contribute to what you are criticizing just let it be. Just because of a social media forum, your opinion doesn’t mean anything but just typing, it is what it is, and unless every citizen tries to make a positive effort, then it is simply back seat driving. If you don’t like Canada, India or USA or wherever just go somewhere else and see if you find Utopia.
I am a child of India and an adult of USA. If you don’t like one place or the other go somewhere else. No one is stopping. If you don’t like the rain in Andhra or in Chicago, I am sure there are places on earth that have little or no rain, just go there. If you don’t like politics of Delhi or Washington, find someplace on South or North pole where there is no one and no politics. If you don’t like the people where you live, find a desolate place. Whatever it is you don’t like, find a place you do, and that’s all. I know for sure there is no Utopia on earth and for those of you searching for one, good luck.
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