The Dark Side of the Super Economy...

Ever since I Came to the US,I had been thinking if this place is all good..all riches with everyone having everything they wanted...if there were no poor/orphans in the city..and I never did actually see anyone in that category in our sweet and small place in Binghamton,NY..

But,a trip to Boston opened my eyes as I saw..Cobblers and Beggars do exist in the US too...Surprised...no am not surprised..I'm shocked...but even they have style here...beggars here do not beg they play different musical instruments at various places...metro stations...road sides...and cobblers charge $3 for polishing shoe.. wonder if an Indian cobbler makes that much thru the day!!

This city also showed the hard hearts of people living here.. no one cares for anyone here...yesterday at government center metro station, as everyone rushed to get into green line metro...an old lady fell off...no one bothered to give her a look or a helping hand to get up..I tried doing it...I gave her my hand once and pulled it back..2nd time and pulled it back again...3rd time and pulled it back yet again..didn't have the courage to give her that hand because at the back of my mind I had a thought running continuously...what if I give her a hand and am blamed to have pushed her from the back...

NO, I am not joking..am serious...for it's something we had learnt just this weekend when Sanju ran after a cart which went rolling down the parking and might have hit a parked car...when a friend said..good that you could get hold of it had you not and the cart would have hit a car in the parking you would have been in trap...responsible for any damage happening to it...Thus, even when I wanted to give that lady a hand..I thought it's better safe than sorry and just moved on like others..'With a hard heart'....The golden rule to live here probably is to ignore if you see someone in need... but then isn't that what we do in India also...we see someone in trouble and we try to evade as much as we can...until of course it's someone known & close to us...

I feel sorry for the oldies when I see them carrying oxygen cylinders on their wheel chairs when as they gather courage to go out for shopping all by themselves... but, ton a second thought I feel..good!at least they are self-dependent here...had it been our own country..they would have been totally dependent on someone...if lucky to afford maid..good for them...else being ridiculed and humiliated every now and then by the person(s) taking care (if, at all)...

I get confused if I like my place better or this...but then I certainly do appreciate the acceptance of special (they don't call them mentally or physically challenged here) people here....I really feel...if there is one thing we must copy from here..it is this value to human life in every possible way...

Life without internet..

If anyone wondered where was I absconding... my answer would be it wasn't me..just my internet connectivity...and then मैं और मेरी तनहाई अक्सर ये बातें करते थे.. इन्टरनेट ना होता तो ऐसा होता... इन्टरनेट ना होता तो वैसा होता..but essentially now i realize..इन्टरनेट ना होता तो कैसा होता... :)

Setting up Internet at our new home was hell of an experience :) Despite all assurances from the ISP our Internet would just not work and finally by the time it started working we had requested for deactivation of the services from this service provider :D and amazingly enough they took three weeks to activate the net but only 3 minutes to deactivate it...Hahaha...

I think Internet has now so much become part of our lives that it's presence/absence is missed like a family member :) Good to have you back and running dear INTERNET :)

Time for new look...

I don't want any confusions here...It's time for New look of my blog... liked this new template and changed mine..it's so soothing for eyes :)Ain't it?

याद बहुत आता है वो बिता हुआ जमाना..

जिंदगी का वो पड़ाव जहाँ अपने से ज्यादा दुसरे inspiring लगते थे ,

हर हफ्ते college में नए hair style दीखते थे ... :)

वो पढाई की tension...

वो career का mention....

वो class bunk करके movie देखने का मज़ा ....

और पकडे जाने पर class में present होने पर भी absent mark होने की सज़ा ...

वो friends से रूठना, झगड़ना और फिर मान जाना...

वो फ्री periods में चाय और समोसे बाँट के खाना ...

वो test से पहले notes की photocopy कराना..

याद बहुत आता है वो बिता हुआ जमाना..

वो physics के practicals वो chemistry के formulae ...

हैं कुछ ऐसी यादें जो हम शायद कभी न भूलें ..

वो exams से पहले रात भर जागना...

और inspirational quotes room में टांगना..

वो lunch के बाद boring maths की class ...

और साड़े बारह रुपये का DTC बस पास ...

वो बस में लग-भग हररोज लड़ाई...

और mom dad का डांटना करते क्यों नहीं मन लगाके पढाई...

वो planning करते हुए खिड़की से बाहर झांकना...

और movie से लेट होने पर friends से घर तक lift माँगना ....

वो डांट वो प्यार वो care वो टकरार.. आज भी वो दिन बहुत याद आते हैं ....

बीते हुए दिन जाने कहाँ चले जाते हैं ...

याद आता है वो दौर जब भी ..चेहरे पर हलकी सी एक मुस्कान ले आता है ...

पल भर में सब ग़मों को दूर कहीं दूर ले जाता है...

शायद कोई नहीं है जो वो बिता हुआ समय फिर वापस ले आएगा..

बाकी का जीवन तो सिर्फ उन यादों के सहारे ही चला जायेगा.... :)

India's got talent (Any doubts!!!)

Watch this video...the show's idea is a copy of Britain's got talent & America's got talent...but, the act makes me feel that probably there's still a ray of hope...a ray of hope that India will survive brain drain...that India can be a super power some day...for we still have youth who are not looking for short cuts to achieve success...who are ready to put in the labor and vigor that is required to deserve being there at the top...they might not have born in the best of homes to help them get what it needs to achieve luxuries of life...but they are born with something that money can't buy...the "WILL"...will to achieve everything on sheer talent!!

फुटपाथ पर पड़ा था ....वो भूख से मरा था..कपडा उठा के देखा तो पेट पर लिखा था... सारे जहां से अच्छा हिन्दुस्तान हमारा...