LIFE IN THE US - PART 1

United States of America - Currency - Dollar; 1 Dollar = 42 Rupees; Land of freedom; Land to earn money; Land to spend money;

I learnt that Indian people take some or the other paths to come to this land. Thousands of students come here to pursue their masters. Most of the students are from engineering back ground. They write GRE/TOEFL and get admission into some or the other universities, apply for an F1 visa, keep a vow to God to make 108 pradakshanams to get the visa stamped and finally come here with home made pickles, powders, and lots of wishes from friends and relatives in the airport.Due to inadequate or almost no funding, most of them (almost 95% of them) work to earn for their living apart from paying the fees for the college. They work in malls, marts, coffee shops, hotels, gas stations, etc.to get 10 - 20$ hourly. Since they also have to attend the college, they end up working for 40-50hrs per week on an average. This meagre amount would be just sufficient to sustain theirliving and make phone calls to India back home. Car, here is a necessity. So they take rental cars or purchase second hand cars, payment for which they make through credit cards issued by manybanks here. Each person would have atleast 2 credit cards from different banks. 2 years of graduation studies happen this way. By the end of the graduation, each student who has not receivedfinancial aid in any form in any of the semesters, would have a min. of 15K$ credit. 2 years of nostalgia would make them visit back home once. They go to India with lots of gifts for friends andrelatives just to see them happy although they are in debts. They have to return to the US atleast to clear the debts and to earn a little.
This is one path that students choose to come to the US and make a living.

The other path is to complete some graduation (preferably in IT) in India, apply for a H1 through an Indian consultant here, make a vow to God to make 108 pradakshinams to get the visa stamped and come here. Students who complete their MS here also join the same consultancy. The consultant places them into some projects for some clients in some state in some technology, which he trains them on. There might be a single consulant or a chain of consultants between the client and the consultant who pays them. After a series of deductions by the chain of consultants, the candidate, famously called as Contractor, gets the payment. Some consultants deduct the amount for H1 and training on a monthly basis. In this way, the so called graduate contractors work for various clients on varioustechnologies in various states in a span of 2-4 years with or without visiting back home. Finally after clearing all the debts (which is an ideal case and hence never happens), they plan to earn some moneyfor savings or constructing a house back home. Due to the inflation rate IT has brought in India, a mediocre 800sft 2 bed room apartment in any city would cost not less than 15-20 lakhs. Based on the interests, tastes andfeasibility, people stay here to earn some amount while spending some of it to see the places here in the US like Niagara Falls, Los Angles, Pittsburgh, Smokies, Disney, etc.So the so called savings would take a lot of time to get accumulated. In the meanwhile, since their age would be incresing in terms of numbers (say 27-35), the people back home would be pressurizingto get them married. After a series of matrimonial hits, they decide to get married to an IT graduate and bring along with them to the US.

Marriage in India..Lots of sweets, varieties of food, desi band, desi dresses, dance, all the friends and relatives at a single place and time...really fun.They come back again to the US with spouse and shift the apartment from shared accomodation to a 1 or 2 BHK flat. Instead of going to Sub Ways, Mc Dondalds or Burger King as they previously used to do,now they go more to the Indian Stores and Desi hotels. If the spouse gets bored at home and/or has a gradution in IT done, they would join them into some consultancy and get a job in some place, preferably the same place.In case if luck turns bad, she has to move to a different place. On road if it takes 5-8 hrs, weekly once they meet. If the distance is more than that, they take a flight once in 2 weeks to meet each other.Both of them earn for their commmon savings, common interests and expenditure. Both miss each other and always plan to get a job in the same place. After a couple of years or more, since the parents back home pressurise them tohave a child, they meticulosuly plan their future to have a child delivered in the US. His/Her parent(s) would come for about 3-6 months during the time of labor to take care of the child and the family.If the couple feel that both have to continue working and hence it would be difficult to raise their child, and if their parents are willing to take care of their grand child, they send the child to India so thatthe prospective US Citizen would get trained in Indian heritage and culture from his/her grand parents, which he would miss otherwise.If parents are too old, there are many child cretches here who take care of children.

Time moves on and one day they have to hear the news about the bedridden state of either of their parents. The couple has still not yet accumulated money to purchase a flat in India and more over they are still in debts.To and From charges to India through the cheapest deal would cost around 1200$ which apperas to be very costly compared to the 1500$ spent for Las Vegas trip or the Orlando trip. More over they would not get leaves approved formore than a week for which they have to forgo the money apart from the additional expenditure for India visit. Any how since they have to see their parents at the last stages, one of them goes to India to see the parents and wish that they coulddie instead of the suffering so that they need not come again to India for this purpose. Fortunately, if the old die, these people perform the ritauls and come back again. If they have siblings back home to take care of the still-alive other parent,these people need not worry. But if that is not the case, they either plan to bring the parent here so that he/she could take care of their only child in the US or go back to India, which they cannot because the main purpose of survival here would be lost.

Life moves on in this way until their child grows up and lives on his own independently. If the couple really pine to come back to India, they might do so. But after having stayed here for so many years, it becomes difficult to leave this land and go back to their native land.

DONT STOP WITH THIS...READ PART - 2

LIFE IN THE US - PART 2

The exodus of people from India to the US could also be for various other reasons apart from the above mentioned case.

There are no doubt many positive facets of life here in the US. As mentioned earlier, US of A is a land of freedom. One could be the way they wanted to be. It could be the way they dress, the way they work, the way they spend their time and money, or the way they maintain relationships with the others, which most of them might not be enjoying back home. As an example, lets consider the work culture here. Almost every employee/contractor here is paid on an hourly basis. They work for 8 hrs a day and 5 days a week. For any amount of extra work/hours they spend, they would be paid. This is not the case in India. Regardless of any amount of hours/work one does there, they get the same amount paid monthly. Coming to the work culture, there is no bossism here. Ofcourse, these days many of the companies in India also have no bossism (officially said). But we can find people gossipping/complaining/dominating.

Coming to the human relationships among friends and relatives, Indians are more interested in knowing about the others. Most of the people undoubtedly are not the same as they appear. Every individual needs to be given some private space and freedom. But most of us are either dictated/forced/convinced by others ideas and opinions. The level of lenience that people take or give is more. Some people would not like others to grab lenience from them. The Americans
behave quite differently in this matter. Every individual has some space and they do not indulge in others matters. They devote their time in enjoying life the way they want. Certain things are both positive/negative in the India and the US. The government of the US takes care of the primary education for all the US children. It also takes care of the old and the destitutes. Hence there is no obligation for the children or the old to stay with their familes. Since every individual irrespective of age, sex, race, creed, earn for their living, one is out of the bondage that we usually have in our families. But it is a good sign to see the old working with enthusiasm and leading their lives independently, rather than depending upon their children for the living.

Children in India are taken care of by their parents until they get a job for their living, average age of which is 20 years. The parents earn and spend the money for their children's education, food and other utilities. As it is a give and take policy every where, the children would look after their parents in their old age. This depends on the amount of affection one has on ones parents. Normally, people work in India until they reach the age of 60 and stop working after that enjoying their retiral benefits. That is not the case here. As long as the body and mind function, these people work and earn for their living and spend life the way they want.

IIMs, IITs, REC (NIT)s, AIIMS and many other educational institutions in India undoubtedly produce thousands of intelligent, creative master minds who take part in improving the world. They are helping the mankind and making the human life easier and better. After struggling through 7-10 years of highly competitive environment in India to study the courses from various prestigious institutions, they get admissions into the universities where they get an
opportunity to utilise their skill and genious to discover new paths of life to the world. US and many other rich countries have well established laboratories, universities and technology available with them. India has got independence only 60 years back. It takes many more years to see such things established in India. Hence institutions all over the world recognise Indian students as the potential to make proper usage of their technology in making research, business, and hence involve in the global development of the human race.

10 years back in India, mobile phone and laptop were considered to be the gadgets for a rich man. Today they are the necessary tools for a common man. ATM machines, automated systems and various other features that we have in every industry today, were beyond imagination some 20 years back. Who made it possible to bring such revolutions? The technologists and the business people. Today, computer is a very common word that is known to every living person on the earth. Was this the scenario 15 years back? In such a short span (15 years), the technology rose to a very high level, which the technologists also might not have dreamt.
Digital camera, which needs no development of the film into a negative, was a sensation. With a handy cam, any person could shoot the motion pictures. Mobile technology is a revolution. Telephone and telegraph industry started with tring tring trunk call to be connected just 50 years back. From then we saw the telegram which used telegraphic codes, land line telephone (used by people who were well-off and normal people used to use their neighbours phone as PP),
pager, organiser, black and white mobile phone, CDMA, blue tooth, mobile with integrated camera, wireless, and now the most awaited iPhone, which has incorporated all the features of iPod, phone and internet browser within a single equipment, which can be operated completely by touch. There is no keypad in it. The cost of Computers and memory devices were so huge that only companies which needed them invested in them. Today how much does a laptop cost? Less than Rs.25000. Memory sticks of 2 GB are given as birthday gifts. Who made possible all these things in such a short span of time? The various students turned technologists have struggled years of their lives in laboratories to discover and make such innovations. Businessmen made such technology available to the common man. These are the changes that took place in the world in recent years. Many Indians were part of these changes.

US welcomed Indian people and gave us an opportunity to bring about the change and we have proved ourselves in various fields like Medicine, IT, Electronics, Communication, Transportation, Banking, Agriculture, Chemicals, Pharmacy, Management and many other industries. In this process, many Indians have made their life in the US. Many have sacrificed their mother land, their parents, friends and relatives, happiness, just to serve the world. Given an opportunity who would not like to go back to their schools and make fun of their teachers again? Who would not like to play with their friends? Who would not like to eat their mother made home food? In the 100 crore population in India, today we have lots of youngsters with immense potential. World has become smaller. Today it is a global village that we call the world as. It takes lesser time to travel from India to UK than to travel from Chennai to Delhi by train. There are many self-sufficient countries in the world who are inviting people to exhibit their skill. And the youth in India has to encash the opportunities. This was not the scenario 15 years back. The unemployment rate was high. The number of industries were less. Today we have many industries in India which are globally noticed. We have made our entry into the global business. We have created employment for ourselves by marketing ourselves. We have shown the world that we can prove our talent from any corner of the world.

Hence the exodus. Hence the migration of people to the other countries. We have generated wealth for ourselves, our country and the world. So today, we need not worry for being far from our motherland. We have to be couteous enough to thank our motherland for having given such wonderful youth, when we enjoyed, played in the mud, studied, danced and learnt what life is. The very instinct of the Indian heritage and culture would imbibe in us when we took birth on the land of India.There were thousands of familes in India whose standards of living rose due to their children working here in the US. Every father would be proud to send off his child to the US hoping that his child would be recognised by the entire world. The dreams which our elder generation dreamt are being realised in this generation and they are very happy about it. Standard of living in India on the whole has improved. Ofcourse technology has both boon and bane. It is up to the individual to take in the respective sense.

After having read Sudha Murthy's 'Dollar Bahu' and after having interacted with many Indians living in the US and the people of the US, I realised that one cannot judge about life in India or the life in the US. Where ever you are, be happy. Brain and Muscle - you use them or lose them. Use your mind and body to serve the society either directly or indirectly. Exemplify the next generation. Spread peace and love in the environment around you and make the world a better place to live.

Anand - manchi coffee laanti article

STATUTORY CAUTION: COFFEE IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH

In India, my motherland, esp. in the Southern part of it, the day begins with the smell of Coffee.. On the one hand I would be so lazy that I never feel like pulling out the covers to smell the coffee but on the other I enjoy the fumes through the perforations of my quilt. Mom would have already prepared the decoction of the 60-40 chicori mixed powder crushed from coffee grains of Velmurugan coffee stores, a shop near my place where one would smell coffee and nothing else.

A strong syrup of the decoction filtering out from the small holes of the upper part of the bronze or steel filter mixed with 3-4 tea spoons of sugar and boiled milk would make my day begin pleasantly. If not at home, this is the same experience of many people in South India. Coffee business is 24X7. I come out of the house and find my friends having coffee in a saucer, poured out of a 3/4th filled small glass at stalls on the road side. Coffee is the one element in the society that both high class society as well as the low sector people have. Only the vessel, rather the cup is what that differs.

If you had read 'My American dateless Diary' of R.K.Narayanan, you would know how passionate one could be about coffee. My grand parents and people of their generation would consume coffee atleast thrice a day, each quantum being atleast 300ml. Ofcourse though I am not a coffee freak, I do enjoy it once a while.

As a child, I knew Brook Bond Green Label coffee. Then came the Sunrise (manchi ruchi tho udayam kotha Sunrise), followed by Bru (ye Bru hai maa),

Nescafe(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMoDW_cMMgg),

Leo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9qmJ79YuCs),

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJLAl2UDW_I), and so on..

As I grew, the flavours, companies and products also have increased. Today I see Cafe Coffee days, Barrista, Coffee pubs, Coorg coffee, Coffee in pizza huts, etc. in different blends and flavours. I first heard the names Cappuchino, Espresso, Frappe just 4-5 years back. The very thought of having cold coffee was dreadful to me because I never have hot coffee if it becomes cold (rather luke warm). But to my surprise I liked the taste of Cold Coffee with frappe (ice cream). Love at first sight..oops..taste!!

Coffee is a global choice. Through out the world, people enjoy coffee in various blends. I dint realise this until I saw with my own eyes, sori tasted with my own tongue.

Ask a person in US about coffee. The first sound that is emitted is "Star Bucks". I never thought or imagined that there would be atleast 100 varieties of coffee. In reality there are many hundreds of flavours and blends. When ever I feel like having coffee at my work place, the toughest challenge I face is to select one flavour from among 15-20 varieties. French Roast, French Vanilla, Almondo, Milky way, and many more (names I dont remember, but tastes I do).

Poor old generation never knew how fast decoction could be made since they never were acqainted with percolator. The process of preparing decoction itself used to take atleast 30 minutes and 20 more minutes to prepare their customised filter coffee to fit to their taste. But it had its own taste, which we miss daily in the machinary coffee. It included many steps.

1. Mix chicory grains and coffee seeds in the proportionate ratio and crush them to powder

2. Boil water in a beaker

3. Based on the quantity required, add coffee powder in the filter (made of bronze or steel)

4. Pour the boiling water in it

5. Wait till the decoction filters through the perforation of the upper portion of the filter or a cloth and settles down.

6. Boil milk

7. Add hot decoction to hot milk in the required quantity

8. Add sugar

9. Mix thoroughly to and fro from a tumbler to a steel beaker (famously called davara) until you get required frappe

Today we see coffee machines installed in every IT company because efficient software cannot be developed without coffee. Coffee preparation became very easy these days. In fact, its just a three step process.
1. Select the flavour you want
2. Add creamer
3. Add sugar and stir with a couple of straws.

Whatever the mode of preparation might be, people all over the world cannot live without it till they/it become(s) exinct.