Today morning I woke up to the sound of pouring monsoon rain. This year my city Columbus, Georgia is getting plenty of rain, almost every 2-3 days. No sooner I arrived in Bhubaneswar than it's been raining pretty regularly - much to the chagrin of city dwellers who hate mud on the road, but to the delight of many for alleviating the ongoing draught. Rain seems to be following me everywhere.
Walked into our neighborhood stall this morning to buy some milk packets. The owner known to me for 3 decades was excited to see me, asking me a standard question I get during my India visits, "When did you come and how long you will be here". He continued further - "BAIDENAY TA AGYAN BHARATA PAI JAMA BHALA NUHE. TRAWMPAW BHALA THILA. Pakistan KU SABAD KARI DEITHILA. NA KANA KAHUCHANTI (Biden is not at all good for India. Trump was good for India who taught Pakistan a lesson. What do you say ?) soliciting my opinion. I responded "APANA TA SABU JANICHANTI. MU ADHIKA KANA KAHIBI" (You are Mr. Know All. What more can I say) ? From his body language I could decipher that he took my response as a huge compliment. Foreign policy experts mushroom in every tea stall and betel shop kiosk, often metamorphosing into domain of foreign policy expertise on social media.
The topic of US didn't end there. I went to the bank where I have my NRI Account to withdraw some money. No sooner I handed over my check to the girl at the counter than she looked up and decided to have a tete-a-tete with me. She asked me the often asked question - "APANA US RE KOUTHI ACHHANTI, KETE DINA SETHI RAHILENI (Where you stay in US and how long you have been staying there). Then she followed - "APANA KARA KI BHAGYA, AMERIKKA RE ACHHANI" (You are so fortunate to live in America).
I replied - "Living in America has its own challenges and share of pros and cons. DURA PAHADA SUNDARA (Faraway hill looks beautiful, which means grass is greener on the other side of the fence). Came back her Googly - "I know of many coming to Amerikka. But why no one is coming back for good ? I got so and so cousin in California, so and so Mausa in Florida, so and so Piusa in New Jersey. No one even remotely contemplates of returning back to India".
"Well", I replied. That's a pretty good question. She looked flattered. I went on - "America is like CHAKRABYUHA (the legendary impregnable battle formation employed by Commander-in-Chief Drona of Kaurava Army in MAHABHARAT). It is much easier to get into America, but like the ill fated warrior Abhimanyu no one has a clue how to get out". It seems she liked my answer, instantly bursting into laughter as she handed me over the bills (called notes here).
Before walking out of the door I took a liberal dosage of the hand sanitizer handed over to me by the bank guard who gracefully opened the door for me. I responded by saying "thanks". He gave me a bewildered look, both surprised and pleased at my thankful gesture. I asked him for a little more sanitizer to which he gleefully acquiesced by bending and dumping a sizable lump of the sticky suff on my hand. I rubbed both my hands with on my way out, leaving no stones unturned in taking Covid precautions.
Adulations or brickbats towards USA varies but the constant fascination (obsession for some) towards America remains the same. It is firmly entrenched in the psyche of Indian middle class. Friday (Ganesh Puja) and Saturday (Nua Khai) being holidays here, many ascribe this weekend as "long weekend" - the way Americans refer to their long weekends. Not that India doesn't have its share of long weekends, but never before heard the usage of adjective "long" for an extended weekend. Long weekend may be the latest invasion of American slang here, long after the commonly used US imports "cool", "bro" etc.
I visited the chain of fruit stores on the left side of the road running from Raj Mahal Chhaka. Magoes are still available and tastes good, though not great like we get at the peak of summer. The Indian varieties the "King of Fruits" are succulent, have less fiber and unique aroma compared to its counterparts from Mexico and Caribbean available in USA. Bought some mangoes, Banana (Desi or Country variety), Aata (custard apples), Guavas, Sapotas (great sources of Vitamins and fiber) overlooking other fruits like Apples, Pears, Grapes, Kiwifruits, Oranges, Pistachios which I get plentiful in USA.
There were more animals than humans on the street when I was returning home minutes past midnight. Apart from a few vehicles in the dark carefully navigating through the freely roaming mongrels wondering on road, only human beings I saw were in the form uniformed cops chatting clustered around their PCR Vans. Closer to home on the local road as the car carrying me slowed down to jump the bump on the way, a cat from nowhere crossed over right in front of us melting into the bushes. It was a long day for me and long night for the street animals and police. More later...
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