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“When are you planning to return back to India for good?”. When I pose this to my cousins in the USA, they all say nonchalantly – “The going’s good, so adha pathi edhuku ippo think pannanum” (why should I think about it now?). Yeah right! This won’t even figure in the periphery of their thought process. More so, they’ll be thinking of where to shift base within the US or which plump offer to accept next. Some one I know recently shifted from Boston to Austin because his wife had relatives in Texas and she didn’t like Boston’s extreme climate (C’mon, give me a better reason!). Can’t blame them much, they don’t call it the Land of Opportunities for nothing.

Not surprisingly, the crowd in the GRE classes is proof of the craze among us undergraduates to have a slice of western life and education. Once the GRE bug has bitten you, there’s no turning back. Delving deeper - what goes on in the mind of a typical GRE-aspirant?

1.A longing desire to set foot in THE country.

2. To be quickly done with masters and get a decent job

3. Repay loans, if any.

4. Settle down ASAP.

So people are going to keep going in hordes. No issues there at all. But, what’s interesting is how a person behaves on returning two years hence. Well, what do they do on returning?? If you ask me – they land and start itching to comment about everything they set their eyes upon, it usually goes like this– “Just look at these unfinished flyovers and the commotion (at Kathipara)”. “Oh, so no one obeys the signal still eh?? Its not like this back there!”. “I’m sure I won’t be able to use wireless Internet in my Sony Vaio laptop!”

In fact, their tone sometimes hinges on a self-attained sense of superiority, which deflates as time goes by. But, what do they expect to happen in over a span of just two years? Well, India should have become this ultra clean and filthy rich country. Our nascent idea of a model country gets solidified the moment we land there and see the skyscrapers and clean roads with cars racing by. Fine, but cut India some slack! Its unfair to compare us with a country, which has been free for a whopping 230 years. Give good ol’ Bharath Mata more time to reach your artificial standards of economic development (read as tall buildings, sparkling roads with no beggars and cows). Till then just bear the failings and stop complaining.
Obviously I can’t say all this to my relative who is getting me loads of stuff from there!! So I’m expressing myself in a medium beyond his/her reach (wink wink!). Its simple. All I say is – go, come back, be normal. It shouldn’t be that tough.

PRADEEP SAMPATHKUMAR, III Year, B.E. Electronics and Communication at Sri Venkateswara College Of Engineering, Sriperumbudur

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