American Dreamzz..

The man in focus ( a close up shot) is of middle class
background. Had a good academic bringup ; in a typical Indian ambition, joined a reputed
Engineering college; while his friends took the IF clause of the following logic,

IF fin-aid-got during final year BE
begin
MS in US
display " Foreign MS Degree"
end
ELSE
Join the campus offered big software consulting company visit all continents much to
the concern of those who took the if logic Display " Have made more money than you
guys who did MS at Purdue"
end-if

Our man took the else clause and happily went around the globe.
Learnt English customs, french cuisine, Swiss niceties, Spanish Reggae and American Dreams.
After three years plus ( now a days people start at 6 months itself), decides to leave the big
consultancy services and takes on an H1B.
He tells all his friends "just 2 max 3 years..make 10 K or 20K $ and then come back and
settle back home nicely..surely Ill come back..I wont be like others who settle there".
He surely believes so when he says this and does not lie...

First 3 months : Has got SSN; managed a driving licence after quite a bit of difficulty
and fear ; managed a second hand car; rented a decent apartment; spending about 500 $ on
phone bills calling up every friend and relative;

Next 3 months : finds to his shock that he has less money in bank than he had during the
big consultancy trips ( when he knew that he used to get peanuts and hence lived within his
means sharing 4 people i car and saved some money really) !!..Makes huge cuts in telephone
bill (first starts with his home calls and close friend calls - huge cut) and is happy to
see the bill cut down to 250 $.

Next 6 months: Has some friends by now....makes some trips to Niagara
(it s a ritual like the Kashi and Rameswaram trip in India), NewYork city and White House.
Experienced a winter and fed with his car not starting. Decides to buy a new car...feels lonely...thinks
of his marriage...unlike his IF clause classmates who struggle with getting a job, this
fellow is more settled and hecne can think of marriage)

Next 3 months : decides to call up his family about searching for a bride. company asks him about green card
Has 2 minds...some change jobs for 10 K increase..others content with 5K increase given by his present company.

Next 3 months: He fixes a trip after daily hunting for the cheapest ticket..comes home
with quite a few gifts to family back home..fixes a girl !!!
Comes in 3 weeks trip as he knows he will be back after 6 months for marriage
(Telugu guys are an exception: they come in 3 weeks holiday, see 15 girls, negotiate on 50 Lac + 10
acres fertile land + 2 rice mills etc, fix up the best bargain and get married in 2 days and come back..
the other south indians are not so rewarded in cash;;they will have to come back 6 months down the line)

6 months: gets married. now he is for sure his dream of coming back in 3 years is becoming pale !!.
He has to spend 3000 $ on travel next time to come back home; he has spent a lot
in car repayment; 2 indian trips and in gifts ; now he wont come back for 2 years:
Meanwhile he has to get this green card any way; (so he consoles himself that circumstances
forced him to stay rather than blaming his will power)..

2 years further : makes a trip..buys more gifts for the wife side relatives than his own
brothers and sisters !! Calculates every dollar..but finds out to his shock that salaries
in India have grown greatly..also the cost..now his savings will buy only 1 flat in south
Madras..not at Mylapore..he wont have any cash if he returned home;;decides that he will
stay for anohter 3 years..concentrate on saving saving and come back for good..

3 years ; has kid ( his mother in law came during delivery ; he was worried all along that should they fall sick,
he will be gone in medical care; he prays to Godmore than he prayed for his School final marks or JEE/CET seat).
He is a family man; thinks that if his 2 year old daughter is in US after she is 7-8 years of age, she will be bad ...
so makes a plan to come back after 5 years..when his daughter would have seen the disney land and nicer things
yet unspoilt by western culture..

4 years: makes a trip to India with a 20 % hope of returning to India. His retired father
with BP and diabetes and mother with heart problem are in the fore front of his thoughts..
But he goes to a few companies..though he worked as a programmer in spite of being good
knowledged and had managed 10 people team in India, in US he is a programmer and his ego still is hurt),
he expects to be appointed as a general manager ; does nt get one; or even if he gets, compares with 70K $
and finds it peanuts...decides to show his parents to a
doctor; asks his neighbours to look after them ; emplanes to US ;

5 years down the line : his wife likes so much US,.she does not have the problem of
pestering of her mother-in-law. Halts all plans of her husband's thoughts of returning
home. Now a days, our man does not come to India. Wife comes during december season,
shows off and then goes back to US ( she talks to her relatives about her own car; kids bharata
natyam class in Denver suburbs; her relatives exclaim that they are still so indian)....

10 years : our man is in his 50's. Now is suddenly remembered of the culture. Is
reminiscing in his dreams of the past about reciting Sahasranama at 6 PM in the Shiva
temple, the prasad at the Narayana temple, his jolly stints at Chepauk and the cofee at the
Naesey bar in front of the Consultancy services at Lloyds Road 185 office and Annapoorna at
12 Cath Road office. He wants all of them back. Comes to india ( to find them all are not
truly continuing; blames Indians for forgetting culture; blames the circumstances for his happenings than his will; )...
buys a big flat; decides to come back in 2 years;; 2 years ; he comes back but not with his family; his children
Sweta and son Nikhil ( he had nice fancy names unlike his Ramanaryanan and his friend Sivasubramanian
though they were deep rooted tradition of his ancestral names) are going to "SCHOOL''
( at Michigan univ;;;not in our terms an university; he calls it school) and are likely to get settled their with
Steve and Susan respectively. He does not like it; losing his gothram and indian ness but cant help it..
he swallows it without saying anything; wife accepts it more realistically ;
but still blames the circumstances ( had I got $ 70K when I passed out Engineering, would I
have come here and spent 30 years here..He does not remember that rest of the Indians
earned only 1165 + city allowance + DA relief of 180 rupees fifty paise when he got 3500 in Campus and got
1000 hike every 6 months in his software industry). Now in his sixties at Adyar; he goes to temple;
his neighbourhood flats kids are wearing american t shirts watching M-TV.


Our man is feeling bad that they are growing too Western ;
he passes his last days hoping his son and daughter will join him at death;
(doesnt remember that he sent only get well card and made few telephonic calls at AT & T ,
MCI cheap rate durations than attend to them personally but still expects his son will come
& nurse him when he is in paralytic stroke though the good treatment at Malar Hospital has restored his health;
now he can walk to the corner shop and negotiate coriander leaves for 50 paise spoiling the poor daily wage
earners' meagre earnings )...

Our man rests in peace at a old age home !!