Re: The changing face of India

[Guest guest]

Dear Sadhana,

Your observations are acute. Indeed things are changing*.

It will take some more time for things to reach your expectations, but its

fast (so fasten your seatbelt)...

:-D

Ravin '82

* One good change however would be the active participation of more members

AND staff in this mailing list...

[Guest guest]

hi sadhana,

you came to pune ,stayed there for 3 weeks and seems you did not meet kishore

shah?its like going to agra and not seeing taj mahal....lol

if you would have met him ,you would have had a ride in the SKODA instead of

just seeing it wizzz past you(i was the lucky one who had a ride in the beauty

when i visited pune a week ago)

and regarding your other observations about india you speak with a tone

which seem a sort of .... detached. it is as if you are coming back here after

decades and generations and eras have gone by( in kishore's words : bahut saal

pehle ki baat hai)

it was very nice to note your observations and feel the changes which come

about in people once they settle abroad.(akin to a married woman who mentions

about her maika as 'woh ghar')

your writing does evoke the nda's 'feel good' factor

thanks for writing good things about INDIA

GOD BLESS

On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 sadbose wrote :

>Dear all, here is a short story/ thought for the day from yours truly:-

>

>For some months now there was palpable excitement in my house- my daughter was

rehearsing " Yes India, namaste etc " all the time and I was visualising eating

vada-sambhar in Vaishali and shopping in Laxmi Road. My husband was lost in

bongland and my son was generally looking lost since he is just a year old.

Why?? we were " going home " after four long years and I could not wait to see how

much truth there was in NDA's " if it feels good, it must be India " .

>

>1st Jan 2004 we landed in Sahar and I noticed the visa queues were similar to

the ones in UK i.e. moving fast and not very long. No one hassled us anywhere

except for some

>mosquitoes but my kids were on chloroquine so my mind was at ease. My parents

were soon showing off the Mumbai-Pune expressway and I was so happy to see it

was not just an over publicised road- it really was very good! There was a

clean, well kept foodmall enroute and we reached home in no time. Apparently

similar highways are planned for the rest of India.The next 3 weeks whizzed past

but some bits ingrained themselves into my memory cells- there were no more

loose polythene bags messing Pune's roads, there were huge, yellow skips for

garbage that people were actually using, the shopping malls were full of

everything that one gets anywhere else in the world, the multiplexes were out of

this world, the traffic was pretty well behaved and there were lanes with

directions too ( I thought I saw Kishore's Skoda one evening), Vaishali's oldies

ka crowd and its sambhar-vada was as delicious as ever and so was Chitale's

shrikhand - my kids and us had no tummy or other problems that some NRIs love

worrying about, the general standard of living was 7-8 on a scale of 10. I

hardly remember anyone asking for " tips " anywhere. In spite of time pressure I

managed to discuss setting up a nari sanstha,UFG!! Calcutta's international

airport had undergone a massive facelift too. I was so happy- the thought of

coming back for good reared its head once again ........I mean, if Calcutta had

some visible change - something I used to think was impossible- India is really

changing fast!!

>

>But where did all that greenery go? why are there concrete buildings

everywhere? why did it feel so hot in January? Why are the roads so congested?

Why have Chinese toys flooded the Indian market? Why is there a water tank on

top of every house? Why are the mosquitoes proliferating? Why does Calcutta

still have open drains and power cuts? All the agricultural areas in Pune and

Calcutta have been gobbled up by building contractors- subsequently Pune's slums

have increased. I saw children my daughter's age helping their labourer parents

lay a road in the afternoon sun and it made my blood boil.

>

>so near yet so far.................

>

>My daughter and I were homesick for a week and we cannot wait for our next trip

home.

>

>Sadhana '85

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Manish,

Well, what should I say? I was in Pune for only 10 days (and the remaining

10 in Calcutta). Poor, busy me did pay my respects at Taj Mahal- if only for

an hour!! But I was not so favoured as to be offered a ride in the Skoda,

not even a Jhalak!! There were a countless must do's to do in those 10 days

that I just had a taste of all my favourite things- but it is just another

10 months before my next trip home so ......

Kishore is teh moving force behind the nari sanstha UFG that is being

started!! More than meeting Kishore, it

was wonderful to meet Swati and Yash because they were so warm and welcoming

and that speaks volumes about how much this egroup has grown into a little

family.

You are absolutely right - my tone was detached but not because of lack of

ownership but because there are different ways of narrating a story and one

of them is to narrate as a bystander/third person. Interestingly, to me my

maike is still no.1 (pun intended- we mallu's are very matriarchal) so

treating India as a second home is far from the truth. In fact, everyone who

knows me personally always ask me why I chose to come abroad because I am

running off to Wembley at the drop of a hat, I prefer Zee/sony/ Hindi movies

to all the western channels (except TCM), I am drumming Indian values, art,

music into my kids all the time compared to others who only teach ballet,

piano etc . In fact my three year old can speak English, Hindi and

Malayalam. I am that classical dhobi ka gaddha i.e na ghar ka na ghat ka- I

love to live in India but also love the work culture and (yep) sterling

pound!!

Lastly Manish, I am angry, cross etc,etc- why are you thanking me for

writing " good things about India " ? Can't you deduct the sense of pride and

happiness in my email that " my India " is changing for the better though I

would like the change to be more equitable, socialist and without losing our

core Indian-ness.

Sadhana '85

Re: The changing face of India

> hi sadhana,

> you came to pune ,stayed there for 3 weeks and seems you did not meet

kishore shah?its like going to agra and not seeing taj mahal....lol

> if you would have met him ,you would have had a ride in the SKODA instead

of just seeing it wizzz past you(i was the lucky one who had a ride in the

beauty when i visited pune a week ago)

> and regarding your other observations about india you speak with a tone

> which seem a sort of .... detached. it is as if you are coming back here

after decades and generations and eras have gone by( in kishore's words :

bahut saal pehle ki baat hai)

> it was very nice to note your observations and feel the changes which

come about in people once they settle abroad.(akin to a married woman who

mentions about her maika as 'woh ghar')

>

> your writing does evoke the nda's 'feel good' factor

>

> thanks for writing good things about INDIA

> GOD BLESS

>

> > >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

> manish kothari

>

>

[Guest guest]

hi sadhana,

it was very nice to know that it was just your narration style and nothing else

that kept you detached.

it was also very heartwarming to learn that you still have your roots firmly

fixed here and are not one of those pseudo characters who spend most of their

lives here ,learn their proffesion here and then fly off for a greener pasture

and then disown INDIA.

you rightly sensed the taunt behind my words of thanking you to say good words

about india , but now that you have cleared the smoke all i can say is MAY YOUR

TRIBE INCREASE ABROAD and keep our tricolour flying (akin to KAJOL in kabhi

khushi kabhi gham)

On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 sadbose wrote :

>Manish,

>Well, what should I say? I was in Pune for only 10 days (and the remaining

>10 in Calcutta). Poor, busy me did pay my respects at Taj Mahal- if only for

>an hour!! But I was not so favoured as to be offered a ride in the Skoda,

>not even a Jhalak!! There were a countless must do's to do in those 10 days

>that I just had a taste of all my favourite things- but it is just another

>10 months before my next trip home so ......

>

>Kishore is teh moving force behind the nari sanstha UFG that is being

>started!! More than meeting Kishore, it

>was wonderful to meet Swati and Yash because they were so warm and welcoming

>and that speaks volumes about how much this egroup has grown into a little

>family.

>

>You are absolutely right - my tone was detached but not because of lack of

>ownership but because there are different ways of narrating a story and one

>of them is to narrate as a bystander/third person. Interestingly, to me my

>maike is still no.1 (pun intended- we mallu's are very matriarchal) so

>treating India as a second home is far from the truth. In fact, everyone who

>knows me personally always ask me why I chose to come abroad because I am

>running off to Wembley at the drop of a hat, I prefer Zee/sony/ Hindi movies

>to all the western channels (except TCM), I am drumming Indian values, art,

>music into my kids all the time compared to others who only teach ballet,

>piano etc . In fact my three year old can speak English, Hindi and

>Malayalam. I am that classical dhobi ka gaddha i.e na ghar ka na ghat ka- I

>love to live in India but also love the work culture and (yep) sterling

>pound!!

>

>Lastly Manish, I am angry, cross etc,etc- why are you thanking me for

>writing " good things about India " ? Can't you deduct the sense of pride and

>happiness in my email that " my India " is changing for the better though I

>would like the change to be more equitable, socialist and without losing our

>core Indian-ness.

>

>Sadhana '85

>

> Re: The changing face of India

>

>

> > hi sadhana,

> > you came to pune ,stayed there for 3 weeks and seems you did not meet

>kishore shah?its like going to agra and not seeing taj mahal....lol

> > if you would have met him ,you would have had a ride in the SKODA instead

>of just seeing it wizzz past you(i was the lucky one who had a ride in the

>beauty when i visited pune a week ago)

> > and regarding your other observations about india you speak with a tone

> > which seem a sort of .... detached. it is as if you are coming back here

>after decades and generations and eras have gone by( in kishore's words :

>bahut saal pehle ki baat hai)

> > it was very nice to note your observations and feel the changes which

>come about in people once they settle abroad.(akin to a married woman who

>mentions about her maika as 'woh ghar')

> >

> > your writing does evoke the nda's 'feel good' factor

> >

> > thanks for writing good things about INDIA

> > GOD BLESS

> >

> > > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> >

> >

> > manish kothari

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Dear Sadhana,

The thrill of meeting you in person was so great that I clean forgot

to show you my Skoda.

Never mind. You have promised me more time in your next visit. So

then we shall have Dinner + Skoda!

Kishore Shah 1974