Hello All,
This is the second part of the silver-jubilee edition of Chachu's column. This column is a collection of contributions from readers including a contribution from myself. In particular, it has:
3. Joint Third Best entry wins Rs 100/- GC:
3b) My Observations on the USA" by Pankaj Chauhan a.k.a. PC
4. Other entries win Consolation Prizes Rs 50/- GC each:
4a) "Trip to Singapore" by Shaifali Aggarwal
4b) "Reflections on Life outside India" by Malay and Barnali
5. The Spritual Angle by Chachu
------- Contribution #3b: My Observations on the USA ----------
You must hear nice things about foreign countries many times, so I've put together the bad things.
After having spent more than five years in a country, you have an opportunity to learn about many things that aren't apparent in a short touristy kind of visit to the country. The image that you get of a country from media is very skewed. For those back home, US and other western countries might be all glamour and glitz. In this note, I'll point some bad sides that you may not have observed.
1. Poor remain poor, rich get richer: In a dollar driven economy, those who aren't that well to do tend to remain so. The most glaring example of this is access to affordable health care. At first glance, the health insurance system might appear fantastic. You just pay a fixed premium, and that takes care of all your health related expenses. Now the reality. A significant percentage of people can't afford to pay health insurance premiums. Moreover, health insurers routinely deny various claims. The most common trick is "Usual and Customary Charges". The insurance company can outright refuse to pay anything above this amount for - say a doctors' visit. Insurance agreements have large number of escape clauses. There are restrictions on which doctors you visit, what hospitals you go to. In the worst form of insurance, called HMOs, you provide the name of one doctor, and then you're stuck with that doctor forever. The sneaky tricks that the insurers play is endless. The worst part is if you don't have a job, or are between jobs, or haven't signed up for insurance by a deadline, a large number of insurers just won't take you. They don't offer individual health insurances. Most of them only sign up a group of people. The choice that you are left with if you want to sign up for individual insurance is very inferior to what you get as part of a group. Apart from health insurance, there are many examples, where the lower middle class and poor have to fight everyday. Banks have all sort of fees, just to have an account with them. The credit card companies and lenders squeeze the most juice out of poor people by having exorbitant interest rates and fees. Predatory lenders and check cashing companies are examples of entities that are involved. I could go on and go on.
2. Super biased media.
For a free democratic country, you'd expect to hear a large number of varied opinions. You wouldn't see any other propaganda driven mainstream media than here. What they pass off as news is so one sided, you realize it only after getting access to news sources outside the country. The truth a handful of corporations control all news outlets, resulting in corporate greed driven news coverage. There's one job that American media has been doing for ages and has been very effective at it. Keep junta under constant fear. Terrorists, killer bees, heavy fires, killer on loose, medical study showing some food may kill you, major crash on highway, these are the day to day items on the TV. A fearful populace is much easier to control, and politicians and corporations can get away with many things that would otherwise be punished.
3. Corporate interests precede everything: The privately held WalMart chain of retail stores has more net worth than all but 4 countries of the world! Sony is larger than Pakistan. Mega corporations have created large monopolies, which crush local economies and produce cheap, inferior products at high prices. Many local governments, public transport systems, libraries are under financial duress. Corporate greed has fueled consumerism in this country. This highly disposable society has created enormous problems for the environment all over the world. The corporations don't have any effective deterrent to be responsible. The only way to sustain the lifestyle promoted by corporations is to exploit other countries, in the form of cheap labor, dumping of waste products, etc. The amount of imports in this country is staggering.
4. Litigation: On surface, it may appear that everyone has equal access to judicial system. The truth is, the amount of money you have determines who wins the legal battle. Mega corps with tons of money routinely threaten regular people (and smaller companies) with frivolous lawsuits. Considering the might of the legal machine of the corps, your only recourse is to surrender to the will of these evil entities. Lawsuits by a group of people (called class action lawsuits) are another story. I think the only people that win are the lawyers, even if the corporation against which the lawsuit was brought loses.
5. Gun Deaths: The number of deaths by gun in this country is 400 times more than that of any other civilized country! This says a lot about the culture of fear that the people are living in. Closing all the house doors all the time is the norm here. Installing all kinds of fancy security systems still doesn't buy the junta a peace of mind, so you have guns in your house. American is a culture of bullying. Harassing and screwing others for your own gains without any consideration is the norm here. This also becomes apparent on a large scale, when you see the American involvement in international affairs. They have sponsored terrorism coups in many countries, overthrown many locally elected governments, destroyed the whole countries under the disguise of liberating the people of that country for their own material gains, the list goes on.
6. Segregation/Racism: This so-called advanced country is riddled with racism. There is a clear separation between blacks and whites. The neighborhoods they live in are divided more often than not. Although racism is illegal, it is still very much alive in the minds of people. Blacks and whites have separate churches! The number of black people you see in jails is ever on an increase and the number you see in universities and decent to well paying jobs is on a decline.
7. Some other random inconveniences: Mobile phones in this country plain suck. There's no standard. Mobile phone from one provider won't work with other provider. Companies don't have the concept of transferable numbers (the recently introduced law has caught all of them off guard). They try to suck the last remaining dollar out of your pocket. Human service is minimal to non-existent, every evident in airlines, mall shopping centers, etc. Cable TV prices are exorbitant. Expect to spend close to $100 or more per month on cable TV. Expect to spend many precious moments of your life holding on the phone, wading through the maze of automated machine replies and hold music.
------- End of contribution #3b: Courtesy Pankaj Chauhan aka PC(wins JOINT THIRD prize) ----------
------- Contribution #4a: Trip to Singapore ----------
It was just another day on the morning of 9th May 2001 - but for me it was a day full of activity and excitement. It was the day when I was flying to Singapore for a project assignment. It also happened to be my first trip abroad. I had heard a lot about Singapore, its people and its culture. At the end of it all, Singapore lived up to all my expectations.
A few hours of air travel saw me at Changi Airport in Singapore. The place seemed like a huge mansion with sparkling floors, well lit pathways with informative signboards at all the right places, tourist information counters and other amenities. The whole place was impressively decorated with flowers and fountains. Everything seemed to be so well managed. It was as if everyone knew what exactly to do and nothing seemed to be out of tune. That first feeling of ‘Perfection’ made me wonder, "Is it all for real!" But then I told myself that Changi airport is one of the most beautiful airports in the world.... May be that is why it is maintained so well or was it that this good maintenance had made Changi one of the world's better known airports! Who knows...who cares...truly Indian!
My company was supposed to arrange for my pick-up from the airport and drop me at my guest-house. I waited patiently for about half an hour but when no one seemed to be coming my way I grew a bit nervous. A gentleman at the airport sensed the tension on my face and came forward to help me. At first I was a bit reluctant to talk to him...but soon I realized that I had no other choice. The nearest phone available at the airport worked on a phone card but I had none with me. The person offered me his phone card and asked me to call up the concerned person. I talked to the person in-charge. After the call, I promptly returned the card to the gentleman. I offered to pay him the phone bill but he rejected it outright. I wondered how India or Indians would fare in a similar situation.
The next day saw me at the client's office where I had to report. The place had a very informal atmosphere. Everything seemed very orderly. Soon my Dept head came and met me and explained my roles and responsibilities. Within the next hour I was allotted all the resources including a cubicle with a working PC, telephone, stationary, access card, etc. One commendable aspect was that everyone from the CEO down to the gatekeeper was treated with equal respect. No one was looked down upon. Everyone was addressed by the first names; no one was titled ‘Sir’! After having coffee or tea people rinsed there own cups...even though a cleaner was there to do the job!.
Another pleasant experience in Singapore was travelling in metros and public transport buses. Every bus stop carried information about the route numbers and the expected times of arrival of the bus. And always, the buses were right there at the designated time! To keep a check on this practice, there were frequent and surprise inspections with the traffic inspectors standing at undisclosed intersections recording the time when the bus crossed that place. No bus moved until all the passengers were seated comfortably and the bus-doors were securely jammed. Even if there was a line of buses waiting at a stop, no bus driver honked for the bus in front to move. Everyone waited patiently for his or her turn to arrive and no bus driver ever stopped the bus in the middle of the road.
The metros in Singapore are also one of the most comfortable modes of transport and one of the best in the world. The bogies and the platforms are sparkling clean no matter what time of day it is. During my entire stay of 8 months in Singapore there was only one instance when the metro arrived late by 2 seconds from its scheduled arrival time. To my surprise the driver of the train actually announced that the train was delayed by 2 seconds due to some technical snag which had been taken care of and apologized that this might have caused the passengers some inconvenience! The way time is valued and managed by Singaporeans is really worth a practice.
Even cab drivers in Singapore were very methodical in the way they operate. No cab driver ever refused a passenger; even if it meant that the driver would have to go the opposite way. Unlike in India, the cab drivers in Singapore didn’t even ask the passenger where to go unless the passengers were comfortably seated with the seat belt on. In case the cab had been booked by someone to be picked up, the cab displays an ‘On call’ sign. Once I was coming back from office at 2:00am. The cab driver was probably new to the area and he took a wrong turn. When he dropped me at my guest house and I asked for the bill, he promptly gave me one but asked me to pay only as much as I paid everyday and did not want me to pay extra for the long drive that he had taken me for. I was stunned! I had heard that the cab drivers in Singapore were supposed to be among the most honest, but this was something too hard for me to digest. (I had been in Delhi for so many years but never once did I come across an auto driver who would not cheat me. The scene is no different in any city in India be it Chandigarh in the North or Chennai in the South!) I paid that cab driver the full amount. As I was coming up the lift I wished that some day things will become better in India as well.
I had started enjoying my stay in Singapore and now I had moved from the guesthouse to a PG accommodation. My landlady was a very friendly and co-operative one although she had warned me against mingling with our Chinese neighbours because for some unknown reasons they did not like the Indians much. Nevertheless whenever I met our neighbours on the stairs I smiled and tried to say a hello. But all I got was a cold look on their face. Later I learnt that this is much the case with almost all the Singaporean families. They preferred to keep to themselves and didn't socialize much. Even during the festivals, people mostly kept to themselves.
In terms of cleanliness and in maintaining law and order, Singapore holds the top position in the world. Although there were instances when you could find people spitting in the lift or smoking in a public place, but such instances were very rare. At every few meters one could find a dustbin. Even the buses had a small dustbin kept near the exit door where people could drop in their journey ticket. Every house had a garbage bin that was linked to a central garbage collection box meant for that apartment. People dropped the garbage into the bin. Each morning the garbage collection van came and emptied the apartments' central garbage box.
On the roads, major highways and junctions had electronic sign boards informing people of a fallen tree or accident or construction work. This helped drivers to avoid certain lanes for a smoother traffic flow. The use of horns on roads was minimal and at all crossings pedestrians were given the right of way irrespective of whether a policeman was around to keep a watch or not. To compliment all this Singapore also had a very pleasant weather throughout the year. The one thing predictable about Singapore weather was its unpredictability! One moment the sun would be shining and the next minute it would be raining cats and dogs!! Despite of such frequent rains all road in Singapore were well carpeted with no potholes or open drains. Everywhere you went the huge buildings with beautifully done interiors. The colorful water fountains and well-trimmed bushes on both sides of the road would be a sight to behold! I once happened to ask my landlady, "how is it that I never find any stray cows or dogs on the roads here? Don’t they have animals around in Singapore?” She smiled at my ignorance and said," You have animals and birds in Singapore but you will find them in the zoo or the safari where they are meant to be...not loitering around on the roads!"
Singapore made me realize what quality of life really meant. There, people did not have to bother about trivial things like water, road or power. Or for that matter, about the parking space at the next shopping mall. As a policy in Singapore, before buying a car, a person had to provide proof that s/he had a parking space for his car otherwise s/he was denied permission to buy any vehicle. Wary of the fact that uncontrolled growth in the number of vehicles will result in traffic jams in land and road scarce Singapore, the government has implemented a range of measures to manage car ownership and usage. The endeavor of the government is to promote use of public transport (like buses and metros) that was much more efficient than use private cars. Further, to avoid older vehicles plying on the road, road tax increased exponentially from the 10th year onwards (110% in the 11th year, 120% in the 12th and so on to a maximum of 150% from the 15th year onwards).
Despite these pleasant experiences and policies, at times I felt that Singapore (or any other country for that matter!) lacked the warmth and closeness that one finds in the people of India. Life in Singapore was much more mechanical and robotic. People would be there to help you out but the sense of belonging was amiss. It was akin to joining a number of jigsaw pieces that completed the picture but failed to convey the theme! People were aloof...they were lonely. The festivities lacked colour and enthusiasm. Sure enough, technology made up for the lack of most of the material things but peace and satisfaction is where the heart is.... And though I had a wonderful time in Singapore I am still happy to be back home in India with family and friends.
------- End of contribution #4a: Courtesy Shaifali Aggarwal(wins Consolation prize) ----------
------- Contribution #4b: Reflections on Life outside India ----------
Acceleration, not speed
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Barnali and I were driving down 101 from San Jose to LA. We were supposed to make it there in about 4 hours, driving at 75. The car hardly made a whiz as it passed the exits. It never ceased to amaze me how dead and motionless everything seemed, even at that speed, as though everything was still. I wondered if that was true about life in general, that we cannot feel speed, however fast it is. We are designed to feel acceleration. Being born in middle class India, the journey till San Jose was accelerating all right. Every year brought the promise of greater challenges and greater rewards. The years at IIT and then the grad life, job hunt, startup, bubble, burst; everything left a mark. But then, are things decelerating now? Is life an endless routine of typing, sleeping and again typing? Would life have been different in India? Could I have maintained the acceleration further if I worked in Bangalore instead of San Jose. Does family life hold more satisfaction over there...Too many questions with no answers...Grass definitely is greener on the other side, no matter which side you are on.
The path of excess leads to the tower of wisdom
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But before I condemn the life of an NRI to a meaningless materialistic chase ending in vain soul searching, let me state that such thoughts are more like sparks and not a steady current. Often such discussions start after weekend dinners with a bunch of friends. A full belly is still the best bet to stimulate the mind. Such thoughts are dismissed the very next morning where you get into the classic American sport of "enjoying the weekend". The feeling of just driving past the beaches, or hike for miles on trails is just incredible (And oh! they are innumerable). The sense of freedom is imbibed in life in America, its something you cant miss. Even during grad life days, when we were definitely below poverty lines here, life seemed to hold many more things to explore. In retrospect, life in India seemed like constant fights to get a foothold somewhere. But out here everything seemed an opportunity to learn. Sure, there is an insane excess of everything. Food, clothes, electronics, roads, cars, gas... The list is endless. And to think in most part of the world people have drinking water problems. But then probably this excess enables individuals to focus on other things than the everyday drudgery of life. Does life imply a "richer" experience in America than in India? Shouldn't life be the same in India if you earn enough.
It’s all about balance
======================
Finally home is where you live. And places don't mean much without the people. All the people I came across while my stay here have made the whole thing worth it. Perhaps I would have met the same people in India. Any comparison I have attempted so far between life here and in India, barring superficial differences, everything has always lead to the same answer; that only the people around you can make a difference. And if that is true, then there should not be differences between living in America and India. Of course, roads with potholes cannot be ignored and the same goes for second class citizenship. But one can get used to them. What remains after a lifetime of struggles and getting used to things is memories. America has given me very fond memories and I shall cherish them. For some odd reason, grass still looks greener on the other side and I try to reason myself that future memories would be more pleasant in India. In any case, its all about how you balance your past with your future.
------- End of contribution #4b: Courtesy Malay and Barnali(wins Consolation prize) ----------
------- Contribution #5: The Spiritual Angle ----------
It has been nearly a month since the first part of the silver jubilee edition was posted. I had then promised of sending the next column in about a week’s time. However, a month has passed, and I have been somewhat lazy. The title for my contribution - The spiritual angle - was ready long time back. But the contents were not forthcoming. I was not sure whose spirit I was referring to. There were some vague thoughts - ‘About the yearning of the spirit’; ‘About the desire to do something different, be different’. But nothing concrete could emerge.
But then I received an email from my friend in US. He wrote, “I am still searching for the real truth and I guess in that sense it doesn’t make any difference whether you are in India or in US. So, my experience in US has been that it’s just a different kind of life - I wouldn’t say good or bad - I'd just say, they are as clueless about the meaning of life as anybody else in the world. When I talk of "meaning of life", I am not talking about the "personal meaning of life" that is arbitrarily chosen by individuals. I am talking about the collective aim of humanity or more generally the whole alive nature. Why are we cruising through the empty spaces at the speed of earth and where are we headed? My experiment of moving in here has confirmed one thing so far - it doesn’t matter where you are externally or how much you own or how much you are known and the real question to answer is still the quintessential question of existence.”
His email provided me the food for thought. Indeed, what is the purpose of our lives? Before I continue any further, it is important to see how this discussion is related to the theme of this two-column series “Indians: The Global Citizens”. The relation is subtle yet evident. Every individual has a void in his/her life - a profound emptiness. And everyone chooses a different course to fill this gap, this vacuum. Some seek this fulfillment in their vocation, some in their relation and some in salvation. Narendra in his contribution says “After having lived in the US for more than four years, my heart craves for the 'emotional bonding' with home country, to be with people around me to whom I can relate to.” Manju Banka puts the same feeling in different words, “in the end, though our bodies may live in San Francisco, London, Dubai or Surabaya, our hearts and souls remain in India.” Many NRIs can relate with this feeling. When I was in Japan, nearly all alone, and used to see the same trains running at the same time with the same set of people in the same hurry, I used to long for a change, long for being in India where there was some chaos, some discord. Returning back here, I found the chaos shocking and longed for the Utopia, the perfect world. And before one finds the perfect world, one must first define the perfection.
So what and who is perfect? The second biggest economy, Japan, where the people smoke and gamble like crazy, but epitomize quality? Or the Americans who profess the virtues of free trade, but want to ban outsourcing, where, as Pankaj puts it, the media is biased, the rich are getting richer, and where there are gun deaths and other random inconveniences? Or is it India shining, a nation that is simultaneously living in ten different centuries, where 8 lane super expressways co-exist with the pot-holed roads, where gallons of water go to manicuring the lush fields of a golf course, while many clamour and fight for water, where corruption is a way of life and road etiquette abysmal? Or is it Singapore, as Shaifali puts it, a nation that made her realize what quality of life really meant, a nation that lacked the warmth and closeness that one finds in the people of India.
What is the perfect world? Where is Utopia? Is it in the halls of Mathura where foreigners throng for chanting ‘Hare Rama, Hare Krishna’, on at Mars where people are trying to find life? Is it at Kasauli where people go for a quite weekend or is it finding the cure for SARS? Or is it in finding the balance as Malay puts it in his contribution?
Leaving you with those random thoughts.
Chachu 30/1/2004
------- End of contribution #5: Courtesy Chachu(wins no prize) ----------
Web Resources
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http://www.expatsingapore.com (general information on singapore)
http://www.expatsingapore.com/once/cost.htm (owning a car in Singapore)
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Friday, January 30, 2004
Monday, January 12, 2004
Chachu's Column #25: "Indians: The Global Citizens" (part 1)
Chachu's Column #25: "Indians: The Global Citizens" (part 1)
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Hello All,
First of all, wishing you a very happy New Year and a belated Christmas.
To mark the twenty-fifth (silver jubilee) edition of this column, a different format has been chosen. This column is a collection of contributions from readers including a contribution from myself.
Expatriate readers were requested to comment on how they compare their stay in India versus their stay abroad. Those in India were asked to write about their visits/stays to foreign lands. There were prizes in the form of Fabmall Gift Certificates (GC) for the contributions. The final results are as follows, as judged by my friend and a neutral judge:
1. Best Entry wins Rs 400/- GC: "Our hearts and souls remain in India” by Manju Bunka/Puja Bunka
2. Second Best Entry wins Rs 200/- GC: "Land of Freedom” by Narendra Singhal
3. Joint Third Best entry wins Rs 100/- GC each:
"Phoren Experience" by Alhad Wakankar
"My Observations on the USA" by Pankaj Chauhan a.k.a. PC
4. Other entries win Consolation Prizes Rs 50/- GC each:
"Trip to Singapore" by Shaifali Aggarwal
"Reflections on Life outside India" by Malay and Barnali
The above contributions, and another contribution from yours truly are presented in CC25 and CC26, in order. Kindly give 1-2 weeks time for delivery of prizes. You should receive email from Fabmall with your GC number very soon.
----------------- Contribution #1: Our hearts and souls remain in India --------------------
Next month commemorates the 22nd anniversary of our arrival in Indonesia. When we first decided to come out here, never in our wildest dreams had we imagined that we might stay this long. My husband signed a four-year contract with the company under duress but we thought it was too long. I assured my parents and a very distressed grandmother that we would be back well before that. As you know, that did not happen and we are still overseas. May gods intervene and we go back home to India soon with happiness in our hearts.
Unlike today, when we moved it was not a fashionable thing in our community to go abroad; but circumstances had forced us. Today, NRIs are considered moneyed people with pots of luck; people who have supposedly lost everything - their culture, traditions, values - but are rolling in gold and diamonds. I really don't understand this fictitious face given to a very patriotic and tradition-abiding community.
Yes, there are some shallow people who proudly claim to have forgotten their language, rituals, culture, but they are rare. Such 'modern' people are plenty in India, too. I have met hundreds of Indian families living in the US, Singapore, Indonesia and many other countries who religiously follow all the festivals, national days and other celebrations more devoutly then many in my own country. We always say, "Indians outside India are more Indian."
NRI children, particularly girls, are given a totally wrong face. My own daughter and her numerous friends are a wonderful example of nice Indian girls. They are mostly highly educated young women who make their parents proud. They don't believe in dating, going to discos or wearing revealing clothes. When asked a question in their mother tongue, Hindi, they respond in kind. Many family, friends and acquaintances have often commented on how humble, polite and friendly my daughter is. Such comments make me proud...yet they also sting. Because the underlying tone is one of surprise - how could she be, when she was raised overseas?
At every step we are confronted with stereotypes and misconceptions that do little but hurt and divide. In movies, in media, in a hundred everyday comments of friends and relatives we are misrepresented and mistaken. But we do not scream or shout. In our own quiet ways, we go about changing the minds of those who malign us. We teach our children to understand not just to read and write Hindi, but what it means to be Indian. We show them the beauty our culture, our heritage holds. Because, in the end, though our bodies may live in San Francisco, London, Dubai or Surabaya, our hearts and souls remain in India.
------- End of contribution #1: Courtesy Manju Bunka/Puja Bunka (wins FIRST prize) ----------
--------------------------- Contribution #2: Land of Freedom ------------------------------
I stepped on this great land of "Freedom" on 16th Sept, 1999, my heart filled with a lot of anxiety, hopes, and expectations. The luxury and the 'near perfect' life that the young mind saw around him was beyond his imagination for this mind had never before crossed the boundaries of cocoon Indian life. As months flew by, the dark side of 'near perfect' American life started surfacing, a demonstration of inherent imperfection and anomaly in humans.
The strongest blow was due to the cultural differences from a culture where he had to be comfortable with marriages lasting for only a few years or even a few months in most cases, where sons disown their fathers, and mothers disown their daughters, where aged live in old-age homes, where children have to constantly vouch 'We love you' to their parents, where money takes place above all relations – perfect signs of a highly 'capitalistic' economy and a highly 'individualistic' society.
As I led my student life, at times I gave thought to my future plans of staying in the US or going back to the home country. It was a choice between the luxury and freedom of western world and the social charm of simple Indian life. In my last trip to India, I made the following observation about my motherland. There is happiness, contentment, mental peace, a sense of belonging and togetherness. People are happy in a simple daily meal. There is nothing else that they want. There is satisfaction and contentment. Westernization is surreptitiously stealing this spirit from India ...
After having lived in the US for more than four years, my heart craves for the 'emotional bonding' with home country, to be with people around me to whom I can relate to. Some of my fellow beings are able to cut these ties, very comfortably and 'westernize' themselves, thus becoming self-proclaimed proud Americans. I wonder how they nourish themselves with their roots cut and how they are going to raise their kids in the messy society. Is money that important? Do they think about their old age when their children would disown them? Do they think how many times laws can prevent them from different treatment due to the skin color?
Yeah, America has been successful in selling itself as a land of opportunity and liberty to the rest of the world. Opportunities, which entice brains from all over the world to forget their patriotism and serve America for the love of money and liberty where as soon as you step out, every move of yours is tracked by video cameras.
------- End of contribution #2: Courtesy Narendra Singhal (wins SECOND prize) ----------
---------------------- Contribution #3a: Phoren Experience ------------------------------
In the good old days, the charm of being in the software industry was that one had ample opportunities to travel abroad. I too got couple of opportunities. The first perdesh travel came with UK, England in particular. Even before the visit, the first shock came while visiting the UK consul for visa. I saw a dedicated queue just for Indian Gujaratis - not only that - there was a Gujarati interpreter assisting the British counselor by translating into English what people had to say. By Joe!
Within three days, I was in Woking, a town southwest of London. It was Sunday. We had a Ford Mondeo, a petrol card (both company paid) and my Indian license. It came as a happy surprise that Indians were allowed to drive in UK with Indian License - not even an International License is required, for the initial 6 months. The boring work of bug-fixing had obviously taken a back seat. As everyone in UK we went to Southall, which is referred to as ‘home away from hom’e. It was another shock as there were more Asians than pherangis in sight in Southhall. Asians had made all effort to make Southall resemble Indian city. Local businessman on footpath had tapes of Hindi Music barking at us, one could find loads of litter on roads; people ignored traffic signals at crossings. On the positive side one could buy Indian buffet dinner for 5 pounds, get all kinds of Indian curry powders, garments, pandits for puja.
Office life in UK, and in particular my company, was a bit peculiar. Pherangi colleagues would come and meet us as if we had known them for years, but then the next we interacted with them was with a ‘Bye’. There was minimal interaction, once in the morning with ‘Hi’ and other in the evening with ‘Byeeee’. We were also required to sport formal suit complete with a tie. It was so boring sitting in front of the computer sporting a suit and a tie. The British food was even more boring. They use potatoes in place of rice. I could not come to terms with the fact that they could consume cold chicken and also that every other British dish had potatoes in it.
Anyways, I survived the UK trip by munching on Mac-D burgers, visiting mandatory places: Madam Tussauds Museum, House of parliaments, Big Ben, London Eye (a giant wheel with about 60 ovals and each oval having capacity to accommodate 50 people), Tower bridge, Parliament house, Swami Narayan temple, Trafalgar square, Piccadilly Circus, Harrods, Watching change of guard at Buckingham Palace, ad infinitum. We also visited a couple of cities like Bath and other not-worth-mentioning cities. I survived on Hindi films shown on BBC Channel-4, and by taking solace in the fact that Indians had reached places in UK and that Chicken-Tikka was pronounced as UK’s national dish by Tony Blair and that Indians were the highly educated among other immigrants and that Indian were helping the economy by helping create new businesses and thereby new jobs.
The second chance to travel came with Germany. Germany was calling Indians especially in IT field. Germans had gone to lengths to make the flight carrying Indian programmers coming on the Green Card a pleasant experience. There was place for 10000 working people but was answered by only 50% people out which approx. 20% were Indians. The Germans had thoroughly prepared for the welcome. To make their new foreign colleagues feel at home from the start, the employees of a few software companies went through an intercultural training session.
And they were ready with facts: Indians eat rice and take their shoes off before entering the house. And how Indians greet each other by saying ‘Namaste’. The Germans did exactly the same when they met the first lot of Indian programmers, but were stunned by the response. The Indians greeted them with a friendly ‘hello’ and shook hands.
I was the only Indian working for the company in Germany. There were no foreigners either. It was an all-German company. I was single, had no friends when I arrived in Germany. I had questions abound. Are they racists? Would they be friendly? Can they understand me? I had no German speaking lessons. To top it all, there was the now famous sentence ‘Kinder statt Inder?’ (‘Why not have children instead of Indians?’) It later turned out that it was a political gimmick. Germany used to be and still is, though on decline, the economic engine of Europe. It is followed by the UK and France. The problem with Germany is that there is negative population growth. Meaning that the German population is decreasing and according to an estimate fifty years down the line it could be only 75% of what it is today. So what is the solution? Do they call immigrants (which could dilute their culture and language) or reproduce more. Divorce rate in Germany is close to 50%; moreover people do not want to marry as Live-in relationship is socially accepted. For official purposes they have 5 categories: Single, Married, Widow(er), Divorcee and Living-partner. The German government has put forth various schemes where in a Single person pays the highest amount tax followed by Living-partner and so on. People with kids pay the least amount of tax. Education in Germany has been made totally free so that people do not think that children are a burden. Even university education is free including free travel in buses and trains for students. These facilities are also extended to foreign students studying in Germany.
I had made my mind that I would stay in Germany for a few very good reasons. Firstly, the work I was going to do was interesting. Secondly, I was going to a town called Aachen, which was situated on Western German border and was bordering Belgium and The Netherlands (nice and inexpensive opportunities to move around) and thirdly I probably would pick up a new language. It was winter when I reached Germany, but there was very little snowfall. By night I was well settled into my one room apartment. I was all alone and the first instinct was to find some one resembling an Indian. I was staying in these big apartment blocks and hence the best way was to go to the front door of each building and read each name to spot an Indian. By the time I was checking few names a group of Indians arrived. It was birthday of one of them and he invited me over for dinner. Within minutes, I was into the Indian group and we were chatting as if we were old buddies and were meeting after years.
His was a typical flat: furnished with a sofa, two settee (which did not go with the couch), and a table, all of which was picked up from neighbourhood who had put the stuff for the Municipal Corporation to pick up. He also had a TV, chest of drawers and closet picked up from flowmarket (a second-hand market run by citizens).
While in Germany I got a lot of chances to move around in different countries. People in Germany are normally supposed to work for 8 hours. If one works for more than that he\she can claim either a compensatory off or money. This is traditional style of working in Germany. Though workplace rules are changing fast these days. But I had the pleasure of 40Hrs work-week. There are official 30 holidays apart from national holidays and Saturdays and Sundays. Cool! The holidays meant that I visited a lot of places. I share with you some interesting experiences.
The Netherlands: Literally translated it would mean ‘Low Lands’. Most of The Netherlands is below sea level and most of it is man made by reclaiming land from sea. This means that there are lots and lots of pumps, working 24x7, around The Netherlands pumping water back into sea. The people here are among the most open and non-conservative I have ever met. They are very helping and extremely friendly. They are also very good at English, one reason being that they see all the Hollywood films and TV serials in English (unlike in Germany were all films are dubbed in German before they are screened). This country is also called Holland which is a misnomer as Holland is just one of the states in The Netherlands. Sell\ purchase\use of some of drugs have been legalized here. It is also the first country to make euthanasia legal. These people are also called Dutch. And one very peculiar thing about Dutch is that they love the orange colour. It will reflect in every other thing whether it is the national flag or the colour of house or main colour for cricket\football team.
Spain: As one moves south in Europe, people start looking darker, they also are not good at time keeping, they eat spicy food and the language they speak start sounding a bit harsh. This statement is not entirely true but yes it fits more or less. In Germany I was used to waiting at bus stops where there would be electronic boards displaying the time of arrival of about 10 next buses. During my entire stay in Germany there was not even a single occasion that buses would be delayed. It was different story in Spain. While on a bus stop I could not find any timetables or electronic boards. So I inquired with a fellow-would-be-passengers. The answer resembled a typical Indian answer to this question. ‘The bus is expected anytime within next 20-25 minutes’
Luxembourg: This country is one of the smallest in the world. Probably a little bit bigger than NCR. Luxembourg itself is too small to create a self-sustaining internal market. They, like Swiss, are involved international banking and financial services. The capital has the same name as the country and is an interesting place to visit.
Belgium: If your are traveling by train you could cross the whole of Belgium starting south to north in less than 6 hours. Belgium is famous for a lot of things. It is known as the Diamond Capital of world, and the diamond business is controlled either by Jews or by Indians. Here I got a rare chance to see traditionally attired Jews. They sported traditional black dress with black hat and were all sporting long beards and all had long hair. Their sideburns were strands of hair sometimes extending until knee. Brugge is city worth mentioning. It is the most beautiful and preserved city. Belgium is also world famous for crystal, lace and chocolates.
Fancy European Words: I was astonished to know that French Fries originated in Belgium. There is an array of words starting with ‘French’ and have nothing to do with France. It is said that the English coined these words in order to deride French. Take for example French Cricket (an informal form of cricket where the batter’s legs act as the wicket), French Leave (unannounced departure), and French letter. In the UK I learnt that a boffin is a doctor and a bobby is a policeman.
Regarding traveling I would like to mention two peculiarities. One that traveling in Europe can be extremely cheap if your are traveling by economy airlines like Ryan-Air. They would happily take you from Germany to Scotland just for 40 Euros. Though I did not get a chance to travel Ryan-Air because of the strings attached. I got a chance to cruise on German highways (commonly known as Autobahns). Germany is the only country in the world to have no speed limits and it is common to spot people cruising at 170-200 kmph. And also it is common to spot non-Germans sporting tee shirts having boldface sentences ‘I survived the Autobahn’.
Among other things Beer is an important and integral part of German culture. There are about 5000 different brands of Beers in Germany and one could spend a whole lifetime and still not taste each and every brand of beer. What is peculiar that when I was taking German language classes we had an entire lesson dedicated to Beer. It explained the various kinds of beers served in various parts of Germany. Also almost each brand of Beer had a distinctive glass in which it is served. Another peculiarity is Oktoberfest or Beer festival where thousands gather in München (Munich) for a week for a wild beer party. During the Football World-Cup, the matches were telecast in conference room in office and Beer was served in working hours and was on the house.
Germans call their country Deutschland and the language they speak is Deutsch. It is also the official language of countries like Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria. Talk of Germany and no mention of Hitler. Impossible. The notorious and abominable dictator Hitler was born in Austria and caused the deaths of millions of Jews. Today Germans feel ashamed of Hitler and see him as a blot on German history and wish he never existed.
I had a gala time in Germany; I made lots of friends and did not have even a single incidence of racism directed towards me. The only negative was the exorbitantly high tax rate in Germany. Which could be as high as 50% (including pension, social security, mandatory health insurance, etc.)
------- End of contribution #3b: Courtesy Alhad Wakankar (wins JOINT THIRD prize) ----------
Web Resources and Guest Articles (Interesting Reading)
------------------------------------------------------
1. 'Why was Satyendra Dubey betrayed?' by Shailesh Gandhi (http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/09guest.htm)
2. 'Something must be right with India!' by A. K. Diwanji
(http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/24akd.htm)
3. 'India Shining? Which India? by Barun Roy
(http://in.rediff.com/money/2003/dec/26guest.htm)
List Managment
--------------
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Hello All,
First of all, wishing you a very happy New Year and a belated Christmas.
To mark the twenty-fifth (silver jubilee) edition of this column, a different format has been chosen. This column is a collection of contributions from readers including a contribution from myself.
Expatriate readers were requested to comment on how they compare their stay in India versus their stay abroad. Those in India were asked to write about their visits/stays to foreign lands. There were prizes in the form of Fabmall Gift Certificates (GC) for the contributions. The final results are as follows, as judged by my friend and a neutral judge:
1. Best Entry wins Rs 400/- GC: "Our hearts and souls remain in India” by Manju Bunka/Puja Bunka
2. Second Best Entry wins Rs 200/- GC: "Land of Freedom” by Narendra Singhal
3. Joint Third Best entry wins Rs 100/- GC each:
"Phoren Experience" by Alhad Wakankar
"My Observations on the USA" by Pankaj Chauhan a.k.a. PC
4. Other entries win Consolation Prizes Rs 50/- GC each:
"Trip to Singapore" by Shaifali Aggarwal
"Reflections on Life outside India" by Malay and Barnali
The above contributions, and another contribution from yours truly are presented in CC25 and CC26, in order. Kindly give 1-2 weeks time for delivery of prizes. You should receive email from Fabmall with your GC number very soon.
----------------- Contribution #1: Our hearts and souls remain in India --------------------
Next month commemorates the 22nd anniversary of our arrival in Indonesia. When we first decided to come out here, never in our wildest dreams had we imagined that we might stay this long. My husband signed a four-year contract with the company under duress but we thought it was too long. I assured my parents and a very distressed grandmother that we would be back well before that. As you know, that did not happen and we are still overseas. May gods intervene and we go back home to India soon with happiness in our hearts.
Unlike today, when we moved it was not a fashionable thing in our community to go abroad; but circumstances had forced us. Today, NRIs are considered moneyed people with pots of luck; people who have supposedly lost everything - their culture, traditions, values - but are rolling in gold and diamonds. I really don't understand this fictitious face given to a very patriotic and tradition-abiding community.
Yes, there are some shallow people who proudly claim to have forgotten their language, rituals, culture, but they are rare. Such 'modern' people are plenty in India, too. I have met hundreds of Indian families living in the US, Singapore, Indonesia and many other countries who religiously follow all the festivals, national days and other celebrations more devoutly then many in my own country. We always say, "Indians outside India are more Indian."
NRI children, particularly girls, are given a totally wrong face. My own daughter and her numerous friends are a wonderful example of nice Indian girls. They are mostly highly educated young women who make their parents proud. They don't believe in dating, going to discos or wearing revealing clothes. When asked a question in their mother tongue, Hindi, they respond in kind. Many family, friends and acquaintances have often commented on how humble, polite and friendly my daughter is. Such comments make me proud...yet they also sting. Because the underlying tone is one of surprise - how could she be, when she was raised overseas?
At every step we are confronted with stereotypes and misconceptions that do little but hurt and divide. In movies, in media, in a hundred everyday comments of friends and relatives we are misrepresented and mistaken. But we do not scream or shout. In our own quiet ways, we go about changing the minds of those who malign us. We teach our children to understand not just to read and write Hindi, but what it means to be Indian. We show them the beauty our culture, our heritage holds. Because, in the end, though our bodies may live in San Francisco, London, Dubai or Surabaya, our hearts and souls remain in India.
------- End of contribution #1: Courtesy Manju Bunka/Puja Bunka (wins FIRST prize) ----------
--------------------------- Contribution #2: Land of Freedom ------------------------------
I stepped on this great land of "Freedom" on 16th Sept, 1999, my heart filled with a lot of anxiety, hopes, and expectations. The luxury and the 'near perfect' life that the young mind saw around him was beyond his imagination for this mind had never before crossed the boundaries of cocoon Indian life. As months flew by, the dark side of 'near perfect' American life started surfacing, a demonstration of inherent imperfection and anomaly in humans.
The strongest blow was due to the cultural differences from a culture where he had to be comfortable with marriages lasting for only a few years or even a few months in most cases, where sons disown their fathers, and mothers disown their daughters, where aged live in old-age homes, where children have to constantly vouch 'We love you' to their parents, where money takes place above all relations – perfect signs of a highly 'capitalistic' economy and a highly 'individualistic' society.
As I led my student life, at times I gave thought to my future plans of staying in the US or going back to the home country. It was a choice between the luxury and freedom of western world and the social charm of simple Indian life. In my last trip to India, I made the following observation about my motherland. There is happiness, contentment, mental peace, a sense of belonging and togetherness. People are happy in a simple daily meal. There is nothing else that they want. There is satisfaction and contentment. Westernization is surreptitiously stealing this spirit from India ...
After having lived in the US for more than four years, my heart craves for the 'emotional bonding' with home country, to be with people around me to whom I can relate to. Some of my fellow beings are able to cut these ties, very comfortably and 'westernize' themselves, thus becoming self-proclaimed proud Americans. I wonder how they nourish themselves with their roots cut and how they are going to raise their kids in the messy society. Is money that important? Do they think about their old age when their children would disown them? Do they think how many times laws can prevent them from different treatment due to the skin color?
Yeah, America has been successful in selling itself as a land of opportunity and liberty to the rest of the world. Opportunities, which entice brains from all over the world to forget their patriotism and serve America for the love of money and liberty where as soon as you step out, every move of yours is tracked by video cameras.
------- End of contribution #2: Courtesy Narendra Singhal (wins SECOND prize) ----------
---------------------- Contribution #3a: Phoren Experience ------------------------------
In the good old days, the charm of being in the software industry was that one had ample opportunities to travel abroad. I too got couple of opportunities. The first perdesh travel came with UK, England in particular. Even before the visit, the first shock came while visiting the UK consul for visa. I saw a dedicated queue just for Indian Gujaratis - not only that - there was a Gujarati interpreter assisting the British counselor by translating into English what people had to say. By Joe!
Within three days, I was in Woking, a town southwest of London. It was Sunday. We had a Ford Mondeo, a petrol card (both company paid) and my Indian license. It came as a happy surprise that Indians were allowed to drive in UK with Indian License - not even an International License is required, for the initial 6 months. The boring work of bug-fixing had obviously taken a back seat. As everyone in UK we went to Southall, which is referred to as ‘home away from hom’e. It was another shock as there were more Asians than pherangis in sight in Southhall. Asians had made all effort to make Southall resemble Indian city. Local businessman on footpath had tapes of Hindi Music barking at us, one could find loads of litter on roads; people ignored traffic signals at crossings. On the positive side one could buy Indian buffet dinner for 5 pounds, get all kinds of Indian curry powders, garments, pandits for puja.
Office life in UK, and in particular my company, was a bit peculiar. Pherangi colleagues would come and meet us as if we had known them for years, but then the next we interacted with them was with a ‘Bye’. There was minimal interaction, once in the morning with ‘Hi’ and other in the evening with ‘Byeeee’. We were also required to sport formal suit complete with a tie. It was so boring sitting in front of the computer sporting a suit and a tie. The British food was even more boring. They use potatoes in place of rice. I could not come to terms with the fact that they could consume cold chicken and also that every other British dish had potatoes in it.
Anyways, I survived the UK trip by munching on Mac-D burgers, visiting mandatory places: Madam Tussauds Museum, House of parliaments, Big Ben, London Eye (a giant wheel with about 60 ovals and each oval having capacity to accommodate 50 people), Tower bridge, Parliament house, Swami Narayan temple, Trafalgar square, Piccadilly Circus, Harrods, Watching change of guard at Buckingham Palace, ad infinitum. We also visited a couple of cities like Bath and other not-worth-mentioning cities. I survived on Hindi films shown on BBC Channel-4, and by taking solace in the fact that Indians had reached places in UK and that Chicken-Tikka was pronounced as UK’s national dish by Tony Blair and that Indians were the highly educated among other immigrants and that Indian were helping the economy by helping create new businesses and thereby new jobs.
The second chance to travel came with Germany. Germany was calling Indians especially in IT field. Germans had gone to lengths to make the flight carrying Indian programmers coming on the Green Card a pleasant experience. There was place for 10000 working people but was answered by only 50% people out which approx. 20% were Indians. The Germans had thoroughly prepared for the welcome. To make their new foreign colleagues feel at home from the start, the employees of a few software companies went through an intercultural training session.
And they were ready with facts: Indians eat rice and take their shoes off before entering the house. And how Indians greet each other by saying ‘Namaste’. The Germans did exactly the same when they met the first lot of Indian programmers, but were stunned by the response. The Indians greeted them with a friendly ‘hello’ and shook hands.
I was the only Indian working for the company in Germany. There were no foreigners either. It was an all-German company. I was single, had no friends when I arrived in Germany. I had questions abound. Are they racists? Would they be friendly? Can they understand me? I had no German speaking lessons. To top it all, there was the now famous sentence ‘Kinder statt Inder?’ (‘Why not have children instead of Indians?’) It later turned out that it was a political gimmick. Germany used to be and still is, though on decline, the economic engine of Europe. It is followed by the UK and France. The problem with Germany is that there is negative population growth. Meaning that the German population is decreasing and according to an estimate fifty years down the line it could be only 75% of what it is today. So what is the solution? Do they call immigrants (which could dilute their culture and language) or reproduce more. Divorce rate in Germany is close to 50%; moreover people do not want to marry as Live-in relationship is socially accepted. For official purposes they have 5 categories: Single, Married, Widow(er), Divorcee and Living-partner. The German government has put forth various schemes where in a Single person pays the highest amount tax followed by Living-partner and so on. People with kids pay the least amount of tax. Education in Germany has been made totally free so that people do not think that children are a burden. Even university education is free including free travel in buses and trains for students. These facilities are also extended to foreign students studying in Germany.
I had made my mind that I would stay in Germany for a few very good reasons. Firstly, the work I was going to do was interesting. Secondly, I was going to a town called Aachen, which was situated on Western German border and was bordering Belgium and The Netherlands (nice and inexpensive opportunities to move around) and thirdly I probably would pick up a new language. It was winter when I reached Germany, but there was very little snowfall. By night I was well settled into my one room apartment. I was all alone and the first instinct was to find some one resembling an Indian. I was staying in these big apartment blocks and hence the best way was to go to the front door of each building and read each name to spot an Indian. By the time I was checking few names a group of Indians arrived. It was birthday of one of them and he invited me over for dinner. Within minutes, I was into the Indian group and we were chatting as if we were old buddies and were meeting after years.
His was a typical flat: furnished with a sofa, two settee (which did not go with the couch), and a table, all of which was picked up from neighbourhood who had put the stuff for the Municipal Corporation to pick up. He also had a TV, chest of drawers and closet picked up from flowmarket (a second-hand market run by citizens).
While in Germany I got a lot of chances to move around in different countries. People in Germany are normally supposed to work for 8 hours. If one works for more than that he\she can claim either a compensatory off or money. This is traditional style of working in Germany. Though workplace rules are changing fast these days. But I had the pleasure of 40Hrs work-week. There are official 30 holidays apart from national holidays and Saturdays and Sundays. Cool! The holidays meant that I visited a lot of places. I share with you some interesting experiences.
The Netherlands: Literally translated it would mean ‘Low Lands’. Most of The Netherlands is below sea level and most of it is man made by reclaiming land from sea. This means that there are lots and lots of pumps, working 24x7, around The Netherlands pumping water back into sea. The people here are among the most open and non-conservative I have ever met. They are very helping and extremely friendly. They are also very good at English, one reason being that they see all the Hollywood films and TV serials in English (unlike in Germany were all films are dubbed in German before they are screened). This country is also called Holland which is a misnomer as Holland is just one of the states in The Netherlands. Sell\ purchase\use of some of drugs have been legalized here. It is also the first country to make euthanasia legal. These people are also called Dutch. And one very peculiar thing about Dutch is that they love the orange colour. It will reflect in every other thing whether it is the national flag or the colour of house or main colour for cricket\football team.
Spain: As one moves south in Europe, people start looking darker, they also are not good at time keeping, they eat spicy food and the language they speak start sounding a bit harsh. This statement is not entirely true but yes it fits more or less. In Germany I was used to waiting at bus stops where there would be electronic boards displaying the time of arrival of about 10 next buses. During my entire stay in Germany there was not even a single occasion that buses would be delayed. It was different story in Spain. While on a bus stop I could not find any timetables or electronic boards. So I inquired with a fellow-would-be-passengers. The answer resembled a typical Indian answer to this question. ‘The bus is expected anytime within next 20-25 minutes’
Luxembourg: This country is one of the smallest in the world. Probably a little bit bigger than NCR. Luxembourg itself is too small to create a self-sustaining internal market. They, like Swiss, are involved international banking and financial services. The capital has the same name as the country and is an interesting place to visit.
Belgium: If your are traveling by train you could cross the whole of Belgium starting south to north in less than 6 hours. Belgium is famous for a lot of things. It is known as the Diamond Capital of world, and the diamond business is controlled either by Jews or by Indians. Here I got a rare chance to see traditionally attired Jews. They sported traditional black dress with black hat and were all sporting long beards and all had long hair. Their sideburns were strands of hair sometimes extending until knee. Brugge is city worth mentioning. It is the most beautiful and preserved city. Belgium is also world famous for crystal, lace and chocolates.
Fancy European Words: I was astonished to know that French Fries originated in Belgium. There is an array of words starting with ‘French’ and have nothing to do with France. It is said that the English coined these words in order to deride French. Take for example French Cricket (an informal form of cricket where the batter’s legs act as the wicket), French Leave (unannounced departure), and French letter. In the UK I learnt that a boffin is a doctor and a bobby is a policeman.
Regarding traveling I would like to mention two peculiarities. One that traveling in Europe can be extremely cheap if your are traveling by economy airlines like Ryan-Air. They would happily take you from Germany to Scotland just for 40 Euros. Though I did not get a chance to travel Ryan-Air because of the strings attached. I got a chance to cruise on German highways (commonly known as Autobahns). Germany is the only country in the world to have no speed limits and it is common to spot people cruising at 170-200 kmph. And also it is common to spot non-Germans sporting tee shirts having boldface sentences ‘I survived the Autobahn’.
Among other things Beer is an important and integral part of German culture. There are about 5000 different brands of Beers in Germany and one could spend a whole lifetime and still not taste each and every brand of beer. What is peculiar that when I was taking German language classes we had an entire lesson dedicated to Beer. It explained the various kinds of beers served in various parts of Germany. Also almost each brand of Beer had a distinctive glass in which it is served. Another peculiarity is Oktoberfest or Beer festival where thousands gather in München (Munich) for a week for a wild beer party. During the Football World-Cup, the matches were telecast in conference room in office and Beer was served in working hours and was on the house.
Germans call their country Deutschland and the language they speak is Deutsch. It is also the official language of countries like Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria. Talk of Germany and no mention of Hitler. Impossible. The notorious and abominable dictator Hitler was born in Austria and caused the deaths of millions of Jews. Today Germans feel ashamed of Hitler and see him as a blot on German history and wish he never existed.
I had a gala time in Germany; I made lots of friends and did not have even a single incidence of racism directed towards me. The only negative was the exorbitantly high tax rate in Germany. Which could be as high as 50% (including pension, social security, mandatory health insurance, etc.)
------- End of contribution #3b: Courtesy Alhad Wakankar (wins JOINT THIRD prize) ----------
Web Resources and Guest Articles (Interesting Reading)
------------------------------------------------------
1. 'Why was Satyendra Dubey betrayed?' by Shailesh Gandhi (http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/09guest.htm)
2. 'Something must be right with India!' by A. K. Diwanji
(http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/24akd.htm)
3. 'India Shining? Which India? by Barun Roy
(http://in.rediff.com/money/2003/dec/26guest.htm)
List Managment
--------------
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