Leave us (US) alone...  || hemant mankad ✆ | My US Diary. 1. "Have a safe day.", was the common address heard across airli... |
| 27 Oct (2 days ago) |
| hemant mankadLoading... | 27 Oct (2 days ago) |
My US Diary.
1. "Have a safe day.", was the common address heard across airlines, hotel staff, guides of the tours in tourist attraction places.Contrary to what is the customary "Nice day", the entire US of A is grappling with the insecurity associated with its internal security matters.The perpetrators of the fear must be rubbing their hands in glee and basking in vicarious pleasure of bringing down the superpower to its knees.But still, if the world has to experience a free and and an open society, the Yankees have it on offer on an everyday basis.Uncomplicated and simple for the locals and visitors, everyday life is so lucid and uneventful that it does not even register.After a while, the comforts of a hard earned infrastructure and facilities that are so predictably functional grow on the outsiders and evoke admiration and awe.
The common man on the street is open and uncomplicated.He does not sound or act constipated with complexes. The common American and specially the Afro- Caribbean, is loud, garrulous and effusive as we all are in this country.
I think it would be in the best interest of the entire world and its economy and progress if the US of A is left alone. I know how it would be perceived by many other die hard US haters, but the greatest weakness of that mighty nation- the consumption and wastage of resources, is great for the entire world.The world grows if America comes back to its old dirty ways of being consumers and users, with scant respect to the outside world and its problems.The dreaded "R" word of recession has changed the behavioral pattern of a common Yankee.
Leave them be.Let them be.Leave them alone.They are good.Honestly, they are different and their old ways were great for the new world order.
2.My host in US is a relatively recent immigrant and has yet to make his millions.He is a gentle, hard working American Indian who is sure to go places.
It was hugely fascinating to watch and interact with his kids who have been brought up in a society which had a problem of plenty.The older son, a 21 year old graduate in Finance is a brilliant mix of the Orient and the American.The value systems and family ties strongly responsible in creating the fundamental personality traits, he was warm, polite and extremely genuine in his warmth.Having had to desert his nest recently, because of a plum job in a nearby state, it was so touching to see his home sickness and need to stay with his parents and the close-knit family made a wonderful picture in their Indianness.
The younger one, all of 18, is like all younger ones usually are.Frank and never shy of opening his mind and thoughts to whoever cares or does not care to listen, he is a fantastically curious mix of still growing and slightly immature yet very endearing persona. He comes across as a man who is aware of what he has to do but has a greater influence of the foreign society.It is going to be a very fascinating unfolding of making of a man who is influenced by the values, ethics and morals of God-fearing, honest and hard working parents and a society that is a little strange for its ways to an outsider.But most heartening is the fact that the mix has made this really good looking kid, a cute little enigma for me.
3.The night at Times Square....
The romance of the star-struck visitors with the Big Apple will have a sizable contribution from the luminous, almost incandescent night at the Times Square. We all have seen and travelled far and wide and it is almost impossible to get affected, impressed, mesmerised or awe-struck by anything , anymore.But either my naivete caught up with me or the brilliance of the lights and the really happy atmosphere at the square,(i guess the latter seems more plausible) left me breathless and craving for more.
The very recent addition of fiery red steps in the middle of the square and the sitting area dotted with quaint chairs and tables has added a huge new dimension to spectator joy.
The ubiquitous Coke advert, a constant at the Times Square for eons and the glittering, shimmering Broadway hits, prominently displayed in spectacular colors, along with a host of other corporate giants jostling for space and eyeballs cause a light and show, unmatched in any part of the world.The millions of dollars spent for inches of space makes it absolutely mandatory that the creative advertising professionals mix and match figures and artifacts in colors that dazzle and blind the human eye.And boy, how many human eyes! The atmosphere transcends the onlooker into a world which is not only created by the lights, but also the immensely relaxed and happy partners in the area.Cheek by jowl, the human sea even on week nights, is a great joy to be with.The times spent doing nothing, ogling at the latest fashion divas dotting the area and the rich and the famous in their elegant attire, impart a special feeling.The masterly inactivity, of soaking in every little detail is truly engrossing and an experience of a lifetime to remember.
The whole experience was made even more delectable by the hot samosas and an aloo tikki chat, at the Times Square from a near by Indian joint.The purists may frown and twirl their nose and raise an eyebrow, but then what the heck,who the hell cares?A typically American ideology.
P.S. The samosas and the chaat could have given any authentic Bengali market joint a run for the money...contd.......
| My US Diary.
1. "Have a safe day.", was the common address heard across airlines, hotel staff, guides of the tours in tourist attraction places.Contrary to what is the customary "Nice day", the entire US of A is grappling with the insecurity associated with its internal security matters.The perpetrators of the fear must be rubbing their hands in glee and basking in vicarious pleasure of bringing down the superpower to its knees.But still, if the world has to experience a free and and an open society, the Yankees have it on offer on an everyday basis.Uncomplicated and simple for the locals and visitors, everyday life is so lucid and uneventful that it does not even register.After a while, the comforts of a hard earned infrastructure and facilities that are so predictably functional grow on the outsiders and evoke admiration and awe.
The common man on the street is open and uncomplicated.He does not sound or act constipated with complexes. The common American and specially the Afro- Caribbean, is loud, garrulous and effusive as we all are in this country.
I think it would be in the best interest of the entire world and its economy and progress if the US of A is left alone. I know how it would be perceived by many other die hard US haters, but the greatest weakness of that mighty nation- the consumption and wastage of resources, is great for the entire world.The world grows if America comes back to its old dirty ways of being consumers and users, with scant respect to the outside world and its problems.The dreaded "R" word of recession has changed the behavioral pattern of a common Yankee.
Leave them be.Let them be.Leave them alone.They are good.Honestly, they are different and their old ways were great for the new world order.
2.My host in US is a relatively recent immigrant and has yet to make his millions.He is a gentle, hard working American Indian who is sure to go places.
It was hugely fascinating to watch and interact with his kids who have been brought up in a society which had a problem of plenty.The older son, a 21 year old graduate in Finance is a brilliant mix of the Orient and the American.The value systems and family ties strongly responsible in creating the fundamental personality traits, he was warm, polite and extremely genuine in his warmth.Having had to desert his nest recently, because of a plum job in a nearby state, it was so touching to see his home sickness and need to stay with his parents and the close-knit family made a wonderful picture in their Indianness.
The younger one, all of 18, is like all younger ones usually are.Frank and never shy of opening his mind and thoughts to whoever cares or does not care to listen, he is a fantastically curious mix of still growing and slightly immature yet very endearing persona. He comes across as a man who is aware of what he has to do but has a greater influence of the foreign society.It is going to be a very fascinating unfolding of making of a man who is influenced by the values, ethics and morals of God-fearing, honest and hard working parents and a society that is a little strange for its ways to an outsider.But most heartening is the fact that the mix has made this really good looking kid, a cute little enigma for me.
3.The night at Times Square....
The romance of the star-struck visitors with the Big Apple will have a sizable contribution from the luminous, almost incandescent night at the Times Square. We all have seen and travelled far and wide and it is almost impossible to get affected, impressed, mesmerised or awe-struck by anything , anymore.But either my naivete caught up with me or the brilliance of the lights and the really happy atmosphere at the square,(i guess the latter seems more plausible) left me breathless and craving for more.
The very recent addition of fiery red steps in the middle of the square and the sitting area dotted with quaint chairs and tables has added a huge new dimension to spectator joy.
The ubiquitous Coke advert, a constant at the Times Square for eons and the glittering, shimmering Broadway hits, prominently displayed in spectacular colors, along with a host of other corporate giants jostling for space and eyeballs cause a light and show, unmatched in any part of the world.The millions of dollars spent for inches of space makes it absolutely mandatory that the creative advertising professionals mix and match figures and artifacts in colors that dazzle and blind the human eye.And boy, how many human eyes! The atmosphere transcends the onlooker into a world which is not only created by the lights, but also the immensely relaxed and happy partners in the area.Cheek by jowl, the human sea even on week nights, is a great joy to be with.The times spent doing nothing, ogling at the latest fashion divas dotting the area and the rich and the famous in their elegant attire, impart a special feeling.The masterly inactivity, of soaking in every little detail is truly engrossing and an experience of a lifetime to remember.
The whole experience was made even more delectable by the hot samosas and an aloo tikki chat, at the Times Square from a near by Indian joint.The purists may frown and twirl their nose and raise an eyebrow, but then what the heck,who the hell cares?A typically American ideology.
P.S. The samosas and the chaat could have given any authentic Bengali market joint a run for the money...contd.......
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