It is funny how realisation dawns on you. The time the location the moment so unexpected. Yet it is that moment you have waited and dreaded for. Both at the same time.

If only you had known the truth with such clarity a tad bit earlier, some of the stupid things you did could have been avoided. Or the hurt you felt could have been dealt without that tub of ice cream. The uncertainty and anguish could have been banished.

Of course that isn’t to be. Life is cruel. It remains such with so much ease that you wonder how did she find such expertise. By practice I say. No matter how smart I think I am, or prepared I feel I am, life throws me another experience that I didn’t know how to experience.

So I go ahead. Be me. Experience. Hurt. Fall. Get up. Smile. I have just lived life all over again.

I need to do this,
For me more than you.

I believe I can
I hope you see that too.

I want to know
You are rooting for  me.

I need to know
You have the faith in me.

All I need is one
One person to believe in me.

Some times I wonder
If that one should really be me.

So do you have to crawl over poor people to get to a bar in India?

No we have roads over which cars and other means of transport can run. Actually we have better connectivity through the public transport system in my city, than is existent in Philadelphia.

How come you drink alcohol?

It is a personal choice.

Women in India are allowed to make a choice?

I have been taught to think for myself. if I can think I can make a choice.

Don’t Indian women marry early? How come you are single and at a bar?

Indian women also study and concentrate on careers and wait to meet the right person. I am at a bar because you invited me here.

Aren’t your parents worried sick about you? You are all by yourself in a far off land? Do they worry what you might be up to?

They hope I am alright and happy. Phone calls keep us connected. They don’t really sound worried.

So if I came to India would I be robbed off my money?

If you behave like a silly American tourist I guess you would. It is always helpful to be an educated tourist no matter what country you visit.

Do people take offence if you don’t haggle?

Would people take offence if you gave them more money?

I am worried about getting AIDS in India?

Probability of you getting AIDS by just walking in India is slightly lower than you visiting Mars in this lifetime.

So what do you young people do in India?

Pretty much what most young people do anywhere in the world. Eat sleep drink have sex and make unwanted babies.

I always had this feeling that India is a poor, dirty, poverty stricken country.

It is. What you talk of is the projection of India in the media. I can stereotype a lot of countries to be all about war and oil. Is that all those countries are all about? Or do you think there could be more to them than that?

Hell I don’t identify with it.

Exactly a country is made up of a lot of factions. It depends on you what you decide to look at.

I’d like to visit India.

Well now you have a friend there. I’ll make sure you don’t get robbed though I doubt you could stop being a silly American tourist.

p.s: If the 4 bottles of beer has gone down well with pierogies, it might be a bad idea to top that off with shots of vodka no matter how bad you think the ongoing conversation demands it. Does leave you with a head ache next morning.

I wasn’t done hoping
For a cross road
A different day, a different time
who knows we could still be friends.

I wasn’t done searching
For a glimpse
Of that smile on your face
One could feel from across the room.

I wasn’t done yearning
For just one touch
Feeling the warmth
That only you could give.

I stop to wonder
Standing on this cross-road
Will you leave me in pain
Giving no reason, no explanation. Again!

Dear Pen pal,

I hope my letter finds you in the best of health and spirits as it leaves me here. I am thrilled to receive your letter. I look forward to getting to know you better. I have never had a friend from XYZ.

I am 13 years old and I am in standard VIII. I study Maths, Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) History Geography,Hindi, English,and French as a Foreign language. We also have Physical Education and Drawing as our co-curricular activities but we have a final exam for them. We have recently started having learning computers. I love that period. It is the only class with an air conditioner in the school.

I live in the city of Bombay. It is in a state called Maharashtra. Bombay is formed of seven islands all put together. So we are one huge island surrounded by the Arabian sea. Bombay has people from Maharashtra called Maharashtrians but also people all over the country. My city is considered the city of opportunity and has a job and a place for any one who is ready to work hard.

You might know India is a very big country.We have the mountains plateaus, plains and a large coastal region. We are surrounded by the Arabian sea on the west, Indian ocean in the south, Bay of Bengal on the east and up north by the Himalayas. We have all sorts of weather and climatic conditions. Because of these differences people in my country wear different clothes and eat different food depending on what is locally available. People even speak different languages. There are 18 official language and several 100 dialects. My mother tongue is Hindi which is also the official language of my country but all my friends speak English. We have 26 states and 7 union territories.

My country has people of all religions Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jainism and many more. I am a Hindu. We celebrate Diwali, Dassera and Holi. We have Muslim neighbours who bring us mutton on Eid and Christians who bring us sweets on Christmas. We share our sweets with them on our festivals. So we end up celebrating every one else’s festivals too.

Bombay has people from all over India living here. That is what makes it so special. I hope some day you will come here and I can take you to all my favourite places. My city is famous for wada pau which is fried potatoes in a bun and Bambayya Hindi. My mother totally disproves of that Hindi but I am allowed to have wada pau, which I love very much.

Tell me about you, your country. What is your mother tongue? What is your favourite subject? Have you travelled? Do you watch cricket?

With lots and lots of love, your Indian pen-pal. EU.

p.s: I collect stamps and coins.

I have written about one of my pen-pals before. I started off with a few but at my highest point I had more than 135 pen pals. I used to maintain a file so that I knew what I was writing to whom and who had received what gift from me. This post has the essence of my opening letters to most of my pen pals. It was when I left for medical school that I realised how expensive that hobby was. I will always be indebted to my father for never complaining about the costs involved and always encouraging me to write.

I miss writing those letters. What I miss most is writing about my country and my city as fondly as I used to. I know a lot of facts have changed.To begin with Bombay is not Bombay any more. A lot of my neighbours have changed. I have changed as a person. I still don’t speak the Bambayya Hindi but wada pau continues to be some thing I enjoy. What I miss most is being proud of my country and being surrounded by people who are proud to be Indians.

Here is wishing India in all its beauty, glory and diversity successful 60 years of being independent, continued democracy, many more years of speedy development with all its potential, and country-men who are proud to belong to your heritage.

I might be away for a while. Or then again I might not. Mean while how ever do visit the blogs linked in my blogroll. I have enjoyed reading them for some time now.

Some of the more active ones I am pointing out here. Some of these have always been around and still manage to hold my interest, some others I am fairly new to and I find them beyond fantastic.

Enjoy yourselves and see you around.

Always a pleasure:

Abaniko

Casablanca

Cre8ive Ignition - Arun Verma’s Blog

Gaizabonts

Greensatya

Nick

Perspective

The Latte Files

Shades of Grey

Sanny’s Scribbles

The Chai Wallah

Thanu

The Novelties: ( In my blogroll)

Deja Vu

Grafxgurl

JARVARM

Little Miss Muffet

MsCutePants

Mutterings that Matter

Sunrise

Sunny Days

The Chardonnay Files

The other dimension

This Fish