Like a Siberian crane!

For the uninitiated, the Siberian crane is known for its robust migratory pattern during the winter, when mating  necessitates migration to far-off tropical places, in search of a recluse from the sub-zero temperatures. An abstract definition of this phenomenon would be that the search for rosier avenues forces the crane to leave its abode and wander off to uncharted territories, crossing obstacles along the way, and then return home when the time comes. A good enough hint to the direction of this post? I will not be ranting about how we should all become a part of the 'brain gain' phenomenon which has apparently strengthened into a trend during the last decade. To each his/her own! What I will talk about is how desis keep the des alive in their core, even when an eventual reunion with the motherland has been ruled out forever. 

In the good ol' days of IIT, the one time of the year when people would actually look forward to going back home, away from the luxuries of LAN and lukkha, used to be the Diwali week. Of course, 80% of the populace would wait for the last moment, and then adjust themsleves on a train ride to home (all of us have our pleasant memories of traveling in the proverbial cattle class, chatting away merrily while the co-passengers gave us an obnoxious glare at 1 in the night). One reason I always looked forward to it was to rejuvenate myself and come back fresh, with visions of toiling to a bountiful performance during the endsems (suffices to say that it never happened, probably for none of us!). 

This time around, going home was not an option. Not that the travel time was significantly longer, surprisingly. If you are over 15,000 kilometers away from home, it is plausibly better to harden yourself to the cultural alienation that will ensue and imbibe the tectonic shift as a necessity. Alas, words are indeed easier written than put into action. Homesickness struck, followed by a prolonged deliberation over the decision of leaving a secure life back home to pursuing a PhD in a discipline I have scant knowledge about. However, as diwali neared, frustration gave way to jubilation, thanks to some great friends and a social gathering of the Indian community in the city. Now social gathering is an oft misconstrued term back home, as all gatherings in India eventually precipitate into a free-for-all food and dance extravaganza. Surprisingly, the social gathering here turned out to be a well-organized affair, with plenty of food, ordered queues, and non-intrusive dancing. The entire spectrum of Indian music was covered: from the raaga stuti to rabindro sangeet to amplifier! Not to forget the excellent Bharatnatyam, but of course, Bollywood can never be far nehind. Here is a snapshot of tracks kids grooved to: Taal se taal mila, band baaja baarat, and a Karisma Kapoor track I cannot remember at the peril of my life! And their was no sing-along or synchronized applause with any of the performances, only a polite congratulation at the end. 

All happy tracks, picked from movies which were quintessential Indian family dramas. Even the tracks the DJ spun towards the end ranged from the nostalgic Ta rarara to Munni badnaam hui. And people danced (there were probably only 10 out of the 80 odd who were in the 21-28 age group). People asked us about our own migratory pattern, and remembered their own good times in Ghatkopar or Kolkata. While the parents might miss India every once in a while, the kids were clearly way too Americanized, if that term seems appropriate. They even left an American friend of mine guessing at a few tracks which they seemed to know every word of. I would not be stretching it if I predict that most of these kids will visit India once in a while will their parents force them to, and then never come back again from their cushy lives. These cranes have abandoned their migration. 


Oh, and the icing on the 're-connection' cake was last night's screening of Ra.One, the most 'expensive' bollywood movie ever made. Not that I am a fan of Shah Rukh Khan, but the feeling of 'how would I tear into this movie if I never see it' abetted me to give it a shot, even to the extent of parting with $11.50 (that's 2 days worth of lunch money). And it was not in 3D, in case you are wondering. Here again, to my pleasant surprise, the desi community showed up in full gusto to cheer upon the original overseas superstar from India, one who is as well known in Germany and New York as at Maratha mandir. Hollywood movies have no intermission, but Ra.one did. Importantly, the 6-to-60 formula seemed to be working great for the audience. Taking a cue from the trailers that were shown, it won't be a stretch to predict that a certain Dev.D or Udaan never made it to the celluloid here. Ra.One might as well be the deserving contender for the Filmfare best picture award for the desis here. 

Therefore, in a short span of 5 days, I witnessed how the Indian community survives and thrives in corners of the earth, where the only thing truly Indian might the over-priced restaurant serving $2 gulab jamuns. Movies are a solid connect for them, and I do appreciate YRF films multi-fold times now compared to the time when I saw Rab ne bana di jodi. They have taken upon themselves this invisible responsibility of keeping the Indian diaspora across the world connected to the root of our culture- happy endings and familial bonding. Eagerly waiting to see if Sachin's 100th ton evokes the same jubilation as SRK gulping spaghetti with curd using his bare hands. 

If there is one song that will bring tears to an NRI's eyes, this might be it, either due to the lyrics or due to the cheesy cinematography:

Hardly a time to celebrate

Deepawali is almost here. The pompous festival of wealth and prosperity, which forces even the poorest of the poor to give a token service to goddess Lakshmi in lieu of happiness in the future, brings with itself scenes of jubilation and rejoice. Masses throng to banks and jewelers in hordes and a shopping frenzy grips the entire nation. Like every diwali, this too shall pass. The after-effects of 3 days of gluttonous celebrations will be felt by a few, but the country will go back to normal very soon. Except that this might not be the best time to let laissez faire get in our way of pondering over where exactly India stands right now. 

In terms of polity, fractures abound in the ruling and the opposition camp. Team Anna has severely dented the chances of the UPA, with the most recent bypoll rout suggesting that the public has had enough of its tardy response to corruption. The prime minister has firmly retrenched himself to the background, and all promises of being 'more communicative' to the nation in future appear shallow. The two senior-most ministers are engaged in a power struggle of sorts, and it almost appears like the UPA II is just hoping to making it to the finish line at this time, even though that appears to become harder every passing day. Achievements like the world's cheapest tablet 'Aakash', developed specifically to aid India's growing advancement in IT by rearing a new generation of internet-savvy youth, are outnumbered by blunders like the still tied-up defense procurement issues as well the Air India saga. Not to mention that the hyper-active HRD minister is all set to toy with perhaps the last remaining indigenous brands, the IITs. On the opposition side, an octogenarian is visiting parts of the country exposing the ruling coalition's dubious record on corruption, when two of BJP's own chief ministers were recently fired from their jobs on corruption charges. Talk about charity beginning at home! 

The issues which plague our country's economic development are getting severe every passing day. FDI inflows have sunk to unimaginable lows, inflation is showing no signs of easing, and petrol is actually costlier than liquor. The power sector is reeling under the unintentionally comical tug-of-war between the competing ministries. The incendiary T-issue is raging again, with AP bearing the brunt of the central government's dilly-dallying on the issue. Investor confidence is understandably at a low, and why should it not be? Policy paralysis is the graveyard of business expansion. None of these issues are unmanageable, unless the government chooses to overlook the glaring omissions in it's list of priorities. As the aspirational nature of India's youth firmly establishes itself to the forefront, the political class will have to answer sooner or later. One can only imagine that true bliss is around the corner. 

PS: It is not as if we have nothing to look forward to. The inaugural Indian grand prix is only a fortnight away. Here's the interactive track map in the words of Mark Webber himself.