Thoughts of a minibus traveller

One thing of reaching past 40, is that the memory is still strong to remember what dreams and aspirations we would have had..and thinking of how things have progressed or changed or remained the same. This poem , quoted so many times, " Look to this day! For it is life, the very life of life. In its brief course lie all the verities And realities of your existence The bliss of growth, The glory of action, The splendor of beauty, For yesterday is but a dream, And tomorrow is only a vision; But today, well lived, makes every yesterday A dream of happiness And every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day. ~ Sanskrit poem attributed to Kalidasa, "Salutation to the Dawn" When I was young, I looked forward to the future.. to being fearless and doing my own thing and being self reliant. Social responsibility kicked in and there were additional joys of seeing that it was possible to contribute to efforts to create a better place. Now though.. while...

The book opens with the quote "Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes shall be within my control shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth." There are eight stories in this book, about Bengali immigrants to America and the lives they live as they bridge old home and new home.  These stories do wonders to break into lives of the model immigrants to the US.. who work and produce and pay taxes and do not break laws. However, thinking of all the characters in Tagore's stories, and in Ray's films.. these stories help to bring to life some of the dilemmas of preserving culture, integration, settling into a new place. The stories are longish.. the last three follow the lives of two Hema and Kaushik. Unaccustomed Earth is about a woman, her father and his new found love; Hell-H...

The taxi driver told me that he wished that he could look after his parents - they still send money for him from Canada. He quoted one of the Bible verses about honouring mother and father. A man told me I would get blessings , another relative told me it is a good thing that I do not have a family of my own. Two friends tell me to take a break, make arrangements. My generation of middle class Hindu boys learned mantras, mathematics, science, to talk nicely, take our drinks. We were told to respect and be obedient to our parents. Some of us were, some were not. They never told us though.. about when the time would come to shift the role, to become the parent of the parents. Guilt So.. life changes drastically. Great uncertainty.. the people who gave you life and the mother who had labour pains and cared for you.. need you now to care for them. You are not ready though.. and you want them to be well. You have been arguing with your mother to go to the doctor, but it is not a chil...

Phagwah morning. The first house after the service finish at the mandir. The jhandhi flag was there... and close by, the table with the vodka and rum on it with the bowl of ice. I was fed up, the year before one of my relatives wanted to kill his parents on Phagwah Day. Other memories of people who were drunk.. and being scared of people who might seem 'funny' who switched into violent behaviour.   One of the opinionated Hindu men who used to give lectures at the mandir about everybody and so on.. was taking his drink. I hollered on him.. what example was he setting.. nuff people vex with me.. how could I talk to a big man like that. Same day we were singing at another place.. with a shop.. which was not closed and alcohol was being sold..  I lost my train of thought when I thought of the letter I had written because some Carib was sponsoring a Phagwah Celebration event. After the letter, the event's name was changed. But it was pointless,, because there are Hindu...

"De gyal wine musee de really sweet".. his uncle said. "He was strong, nuttin de wrang wid he".. another uncle said" "I was there with him since he was a baby" the uncle said. "He is the biggest son and the best son' the father said. "Dat is a f..g wrang ting he do".. his uncle said "If he dead in a accident, it would ah bettah" .. another uncle said "No. wait on de f..g post mortem.. you aint know how he dead yet".. another uncle, me in denial , said "De gyurl call he on de phone.. one of he frends buy a round of beers -  he frends dem say he walk away and lef dem".. another uncle said "He is good looking, he could get any gyurl.. " the other uncle said "I dont care.. bury or cremate" the father said "You could take the ash and bury it " one uncle told the father "Nah.. Hindu, let the ash in the sea.. let him go" the uncle said "He was wrang.. ...