Woo!

When I made my decision of studying in worcester I was very uncertain what to expect. I was told it was a sad town though Idce is a good department. I checked the weather and it shows averages of -20 c in winters (I could not feel nor think in fahrenheit then). It's strange the way worcester grew on me. Its amazing how it changed me. It began innocently, a tweak here, a pull there. A splash of color, a figure of speech. Im sure it smiles when it stands back and watches its handiwork. It grows bolder everyday. Sang says I even have a kinda worcester accent and I picked some new england vocab.

Worcester also supplied me a new set of clothes, a different circle of friends. I love eating at tiny Vietnamese restaurants. I never thought before that I would be hanging out with women from Tonga, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Indonesia…. It is like the UN general assembly, only I bet its much funner. Its amazing how new places feed on the appetite for change. It has erased few memories...some faces became blurred, some people a distant recollection. Gone are many old habits, the old ways. Often times worcester has enveloped me and made me its own. I feel sometimes like I belong here. There are times when I wish hyderabad like crazy. But for now, this is my home. Tomorrow I might feel different though.

Yesterday after having studying working for almost 12 hours non-stop when I stepped out there were snow flurries. For once, I did not mind the cold. Worcester looked beautiful.

three cheers for the communist protesters

Protests greet Wal-Mart in India
Communist protesters were briefly arrested after they marched on government buildings in Delhi, waving placards saying "Save small retailers".
I hate the idea of wal-mart coming to India or any where! All these chain stores ruin the of livelihoods small retailers and bandi walas and galli shops. They make every place look like a photocopy of another.

the minister who can't hold his head high!

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said "At Singur, we will never go back. It is not possible. If I go back in this case, I will never be able to raise my head. It will send a very wrong message all over the world, all over the country," to a private TV channel.
He’s worried about raising his head! What about the families who lose their houses, livelihoods, their lands, farms, jobs because of this land? What about the message he is sending to the people in West Bengal who voted for him and got him to power? Why do we need these 1 lakh cars on the roads in the first place? We need to invest on better public transport. We already have no places to drive on the roads. We do not need more cars or pollution!!

"I am sure I will be able to make them (people of Singur) understand why Singur project is necessary for the development of our state," he said in reply to questions.
Whose development? The Tatas, their shareholders and the fund for the minister’s next political campaign?

sunshine on my shoulders

i used to always hate summers and used to wonder why did john denver ever sing 'Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy'....last night i was dead tired plus I was chumming ...I slept without putting the heater on woke up frozen in the middle of the night.....stared at the heater without the strength to wake up and put it on slept back all frozen....turns out it was -17 C last night...no wonder i felt so cold.....today morning was good...the sun was out (is out every day but could feel the warmth today) ...the snow is still there...looks pretty and melting and the lake is still frozen...but the squirells were out...and found my selves thinking of the sunshine song....and i know I would still hate the sun when i would be doing field work in 45-50 degrees C in the summers and have migraines....but i love it for now...'If I had a day that I could give you.; Id give to you a day just like today!'

carrying the Whiteman’s burden!

I have been having an amazing time at the group discussions I run as a teaching assistant for ‘cultural anthropology’. Initially I was a little anxious because unlike the other T.A Anna I am an Indian and all my students are American. I knew dealing will cultural anthropology would mean bringing in the ‘west and the rest discourse’ and the undergraduates would have to grapple with the ‘Whiteman’s burden’. I did not know if they would think I was ethnocentric and hate me if I would be bashing the west and modernity. I came up with one strategy and crossed my fingers that it would work. Most of the students are well read and cool but there sure are 2-3 overtly ethnocentric jerks so I came I asked them if they would like to volunteer to lead discussions and I would facilitate it when they get stuck. The strategy worked like magic, because now when the bunch of jerks question ethnic cultures the other bunch of kids counter it. The funnest thing was on the first day I gave them a form asking them how they think that the others perceived the Americans. Out of 25 students, only one person had half a decent thing to say the rest had only negative things!

where are you from??

I never thought of this before as I have been thinking of recently. When people at here ask me where am I from I would say India. For most people here India is one mass lumped together. Moreover, India was not this one lump before were colonized. India as it is was created by the act of mapping it. Before that India as we call it today was a bunch of about 560 self-governing ‘princely states’. This country has more than 20 official languages and 1000 dialects. It has extremely diverse cuisine that used varied ingredients, spices and cooking methods depending on the region. They do not understand though India is seventh largest by size it has a population of about 1.2 billion people; this means every sixth person in the world is an India. Therefore, it unfair when I fill forms here I need to tick on Asians despite the fact that we are Indians are 1.2 Bn, while there are just 300 Mn. Americans.

Anyways the bigger problem I grapple with is when some people do know that India is not just a mass lumped together and they ask me where am I from in India!!! I would be like I am from Hyderabad but my parents are from Rajasthan. If I say, I am a hyderabadi the next question would be I you speak in Telugu. Then I am like no not really just some broken bits. I can ask people’s name and for food in telugu. But I do know Marwadi. I cannot even really claim to be a Rajasthani because I have just visited there and not ever lived there……………so my big question is what does one say one asked where are you from? Who /what decides where am I from? Does it change depending on situations? Or where I am from is where I feel I am from? For today I am from Hyderabad but tomorrow I might be a Rajasthani!

Follow me!

I do not remember this too well… but mom says gudiya (sang) used to follow me everywhere I went including to my school when she was just two years old. The principal got annoyed of seeing her come everyday and asked mom-dad to admit her also with me. To this day, even when she is not physically present she is constantly in touch. She does that to sandy too. But sandy sometimes gets annoyed with her asking where he is and what he’s doing! I love it however

of pickles and all nighters!

after studying for 5 hours straight despite the cold weather I needed to treat myselves....Nope i did not have treat mysleves with vodka, kalhua, wine or dark chocolates! i treated myselves with gongura pachadi and rice....by the way it was really cold and windy all day and the wind actually made those horror film time noises...btw way the current temperature is 9 degrees F/ -13 degrees C.

missing home

Wake up read, eat, walk, read, eat, meet up loa, hang out at acoustic java or idce, meet sheela for lunch, go to linsey’s house for dinner, wash, clean, eat, read, check mails, cook, baby sit nico, work, read………..this is more or less what I have been doin in Worcester……I hardly have any free time in fact I work hard to not have free time…cos having free time forces me to think…when I do think I invariably think of home (home is where dad-mom, sang-sandy and ross are) I miss sleeping on my bed…waking up to see coca squeezed between sang n me, ross waiting to get outta the room…mom and dad having tea after their morning walk, chandu waiting to thrust tray of fruits and sprouts and milk in our room…..i miss all of that and more

walking across crystal lake

Hey finally I did it!!
It snowed like crazy last night and worcetsre looked beautiful this morning...loa , nico and i walked across crystal lake despite the warnings that it is not completely frozen and we could fall in the dirty frozen water....but such little things in life are what gives a kick....i couldn't beleive i did it until i was in the the middle of the lake...will do it tomm again!

Jaane kya dhoondta hai, ae mera dil

revisiting the song that touches me each time i hear it!!

Jaane kya dhoondta hai, ae mera dil
Tujhko kya chaahiye zindagi

Raaste hi raaste hain, kaisa hai yeh safar
Dhoondti hain jisko nazrein, jaane hai voh kidhar

Bechehra sa koi sapna hai voh
Kahin nahin hai phir bhi apna hai voh
Aise mere andar shaamil hai voh
Main hoon behta dariya, saahil hai voh
Hai kahan voh, voh kidhar hai, raaste kuch to bata
Kaun sa uska nagar hai, rehguzar kuch to bata
Dhoondti hain jisko nazrein, jaane hai voh kidhar

Soona sa hai mandir, moorat nahin
Khaali hai aaina, soorat nahin
Jeene ka jeevan mein kaaran to ho
Maheke kaise kaliyaan, gulshan to ho
Shamma hai jo mujh mein roshan, voh viraasat kisko doon
Door tak koi nahin hai, apni chaahat kisko doon
Dhoondti hain jisko nazrein, jaane hai voh kidhar