The Indians Abroad

Overseas Living: NRIs & India abroad

Archive for June, 2010

2010 Taste of Chicago Festival

Jun 25

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Today – 25th of June, marks the start of 2010 Taste of Chicago Festival. This is by far Chicago’s biggest and most popular annual event. Starting on the Fourth of July in 1980 for the first time, the Taste of Chicago has become the largest outdoor food fest of the world. The festival is estimated to attract more than 3 million people each year.

With the kids on summer break, families drive to this Midwest attraction from all over the places. Some of the best restaurants and food vendors host their stalls around the Grant Park for 10 days. A large number of stages have artists performing live, all around. The vendors offer a variety of food along with bite size samples – you have 100s of varieties to chose from.

Taste of Chicago 2010 celebrates the 30th anniversary of the festival this year, and ends on July 4th.

For more on this festival including its location, admission, public transportation etc., some of the useful information is linked below:

Taste of Chicago 2010 map -Chicago Tribune

What’s new at Taste of Chicago 2010 – Chicago Tribune Read the rest of this entry »

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Desi in da club…or not!!

Jun 24

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, india abroad, Non-Resident Indian, NRI | No Comments

Many years ago, I (along with a desi friend of mine,) was refused entry to a night-club in Montreal, Canada. There was a cover charge – an entry fee, and we were okay with that; but I guess, we were not ‘okay enough’ to be a part of the crowd inside. Realizing that we were dressed too casual for some of the upscale clubs in that area, we went back to our places, changed into something more formal and had no problem after that.

Not sure if it was our ‘outsider’ looks or just the dress code that was the problem for the club, but appearance does matter. You are always judged on your looks, no matter who you are and where you come from.

And, you can say this about any country; this happens everywhere, every day and every night. I have heard stories about some night-clubs in India refusing entrance to foreigners, including Nepalese and those from far north-eastern states.

Recently Manurewa Cosmopolitan Club in New Zealand denied a Sikh man’s entry because he was wearing a turban. The Sikh community is crying foul and calling it a case of racism. On the other hand, the club management is calling it a purely policy issue, and has nothing to do with the racism according to them. It is a private club and they have their own rules, at least that’s what they say. The Sikh Council of New Zealand is seeking action from Human Rights Commission against the club, and is willing to take the battle to the court. Read the rest of this entry »

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Happy Father’s Day

Jun 20

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Khalil Gibran (Kahlil Gibran), one of the most brilliant writers/poets of modern era writes in ‘The Madman’:

One day, I woke from a deep sleep and found all my masks were stolen,–the seven masks I have fashioned and worn in seven lives,–I ran maskless through the crowded streets shouting, “Thieves, thieves, the cursed thieves.”

Men and women laughed at me and some ran to their houses in fear of me. And when I reached the market place, a youth standing on a house-top cried, “He is a madman.” I looked up to behold him; the sun kissed my own naked face for the first time. For the first time the sun kissed my own naked face and my soul was inflamed with love for the sun, and I wanted my masks no more. And as if in a trance I cried, “Blessed, blessed are the thieves who stole my masks.”

Thus I became a madman.

It’s good to be different; in fact, it is always better to be original. However, we ofen sacrifice the originality and the independent thinking, so that we can conform to the social norms. Many of our actions are based on NOT what we like or what we think is right, but what others approve of, or what others like. Read the rest of this entry »

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NRIs and the Distance

Jun 16

Posted by admin in india abroad, Most Popular Stories, Non-Resident Indian, NRI | 6 Comments

NRIs: Living abroad and the distance between families/friends

The long distance relations, the long distance friendship, the relatives far away and the families scattered around the globe – it is part of living abroad. ‘The distance’ is a part of the journey for most of the NRIs. The distance may be one of the variables depending on where and how far you live, but it is a constant – it is always there. When it comes to the overseas’ life, the distance is what identifies the lifestyle of majority of the NRIs.

Most of the Indians living abroad have what you may call ‘an international family’. The parents may live in one country, the kids in another place, and some of the siblings yet somewhere else. Most of us travel to the faraway places for opportunities – the financial opportunities, the chances for career growth, better jobs and so on…. We explore all around the globe looking for something better – better schools, better jobs, the better places to raise kids….

Along the way, while searching for a better life, come the compromises and the sacrifices. One of the obvious results of all these relocations is the distance.

At the heart of all this running around, at the bottom of all this hunting all over the globe is the search for a better life. The whole thing – the living abroad – revolves around the idea of finding a better life. Read the rest of this entry »

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NRIs – Scattered relations, separated friends!

Jun 11

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Most Popular Stories, Non-Resident Indian, NRI | 10 Comments

“At first, I tried phoning regularly, almost every day. Then it changed from everyday to every week-end. Talking on the phone is not the same, and it becomes very expensive. Over the years, I have basically lost touch with most of my friends, even some of the closest ones,” He speaks in somewhat sad tone, with pain spilling out of his words, “I still call my friends, we email more than phone. We still understand each-other, but it is not the same. I am no longer a part of the friendship circle that I left behind.”

This is true for most of the NRIs. We often talk about going abroad; living overseas and we share our experiences in the foreign countries. We explore the pros and cons of leaving our homeland and settling overseas. Whenever there is a reunion or a get together, we discuss it all – the good stuff, the bad side and the compromises of living abroad.

However, one of the least discussed and the most unfortunate side-effect of the whole thing – going abroad and settling overseas, – is the emotional and social impact it has on our psychology. It is probably because we don’t like to talk about something very personal. Maybe it is uncomfortable and often painful to discuss something that was much cherished and now lost.

“What we leave behind is lost forever. You cannot go back after years and restart from where you left. Time does not wait for anyone, and people have moved on. Maybe that’s how it is supposed to be, but there are some aspects of going abroad that I will always miss – the circle of friends and families. Yes, I am richer now, but at what cost, I often wonder.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Some things never change….in India

Jun 7

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, India, Most Popular Stories, Non-Resident Indian, NRI | 1 Comment

An NRI’s prospective on the not-so-changing aspect of Indian life

Bigger houses, better cars, western food, newer mobiles….there are so much new in India; there have been so many changes over the last 10-15 years. India, along with very few other countries, is economically growing at a pace that rest of the world can only talk about. The changes are everywhere.

And then, there are many more things that are about the same, same as the old days. If you look closer, the stuff that has not changed much is in fact much more profound and much more important than the economic progress made since early 90s.
The key aspects of Indian way of life that have not changed much include:

  1. The overall mentality is still the same. The way society interacts and overall thinking has not changed very much.
  2. The political power, the corruption and the mussel flexing to get the work done is same old. If you have money, you can bypass the due process and the waiting lines.
  3. The outdoor cleanliness is no where to be found. The trash and garbage is all over the streets, just like before.

    4. Read the rest of this entry »

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Trash and litter in India? Who cares!

Jun 2

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, environment, India, Most Popular Stories | 13 Comments

Trash and Litter in India – A socially accepted behavior threats the environment and surroundings

During a recent visit to north India, (after a long time, I might add) I noticed something obvious. May be I was comparing everything to living abroad. Anyhow, on my way back to America, I wrote this post during a stop-over – while waiting for my connecting flight in Amsterdam.

All around the globe, the world is taking a note of India’s economic growth. The country has made tremendous progress over the last 10-15 years. It is something to be proud of, to be very proud.

However, we must acknowledge, if there is any aspect in which India or Indians have not moved forward – or moved very sluggishly, – is in the field of environmental cleanliness and taking care of the surroundings.

By ‘surroundings cleanliness’, I mean caring about our neighborhood hygiene and upkeep beyond the doorsteps of our own home.

If you look around, trash and litter is everywhere. Nobody seems to care about the waste, and how we discard it. If anything, we add to the garbage that is already abundant in the open and is everywhere. Littering a plastic cup on the road-side, after we are finished using it, is the norm. No one realize anything wrong with it. Throwing our waste on the street, and right outside our own house is a part of our daily routine. That’s how we are, that’s what we think is normal. Having waste and garbage scattered around everywhere does not bother us. We are content within ourselves as long as our house is polished clean up to the front doorstep. When it comes to surroundings, that’s where our responsibilities seem to end; that’s where we tend to stop – our doorsteps. Read the rest of this entry »

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