DESI VIBE

Are you feeling it yet? Don’t ask me what! The desi vibe, why of course! It’s all over the world. I was reading the New York Times and I came across this article on how some of the landmark hotels in New York and other places in the U.S. were being acquired by Indians. To start with, we, desi’s have acquired the Plaza Hotel in New York, the Ritz-Carlton in Boston (now Taj Boston) and probably, very soon we would have acquired the Waldorf Astoria in New York. OMG!!! I have always wanted to visit the Waldorf Astoria. I had always dreamt of a dinner date or a quaint tea party at the Astoria. I am just worried if these hotels might be Indianized and might lose their old-world English charm forever.

Yoga, Deepak Chopra, Outsourcing Facilitated Company Transfers, Kurtis, Chicken Tandoori and Slumdog Millionaire have allowed a leeway for more Indianness to be incorporated in the American society. But do we want that? I mean aren’t we Indians always complaining that our country is becoming more and more “Westernized”. Then wouldn’t Americans be complaining about their country being Indianized? It is only a matter of time before we see “Poori Bhaji” on the menu of the Beverly Hilton one day because they do have Tandoori Chicken on their menu, already!

Except for the huge fact that my family & close friends are not here, you still get a feel of Indianness here. You always bump into Indians here and there, at work or while you are doing laundry. Sometimes it feels good to see familiar faces while sometimes you can just hear the sound of your bubble bursting. At times, you find some habits of your fellow countrymen amusing, while sometimes they are plain annoying!  

 My problem is not that a lot of desi’s are making huge acquisitions here. I don’t want to get into economics, I am happy for both the countries. Ever since, I have been to the U.S. I have met and socialized with more Indians than I ever did while I was actually in India. I was almost a recluse while I was in India. I have been seeing Indians, Indian food, Indian clothes, and other things Indian in large amounts in the U.S. Not that there is anything wrong with it! It’s just that my bubble kinda burst! Going away to a foreign land makes you feel that you are going away somewhere exotic, some place mysterious. But after seeing my own kind here, I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Not that there’s anything wrong with ethnic diversity. I support it, totally!

If it weren’t for globalization, not many people would have had the chance to experience living in other countries. No more is travelling abroad a luxury or an achievement. During old days, when Indians living abroad came back to India, they were felicitated with garlands! What crap, right? I even have a few photographs to prove that. But as the cultural & national gaps dissolve, over exposure to other civilizations might discourage a fervent globetrotter who would think it is better to sit at home as his globetrotting needs will be satisfied there easily. It is a complex problem, although not critical. But nonetheless, do we have any solutions?

PS: This article does not intend to offend any country or their citizens. This post is not to be taken seriously.