Hari & the WEST

Hari grew up in a small nondescript town in the outskirts of vellore district in Southern India. But that didnt prevent him from dreaming big. He had seen his california based cousin flash his nike shoes and GAP shirts and heard him talk about 16 laned highways and blonde bombshells. This had instilled a constant yearning for the WEST in Hari's mind.

Hari lived in a small 5 bedroom house shared by 19 close relatives. When Hari was a kid, he would play cricket with his friends in the arid fields behind his house. After a tiring day of game, he and his friends would take a dip in the Vaigai river, without caring for the buffaloes and naked seers swimming nearby. But as he grew up, the lure of the WEST made him detest most of these mundane things which he would otherwise enjoy. He would get peeved at his ever doting relatives and scream for more privacy; He would refuse to take part in the silly game of cricket and surely refrain from taking a dip into the "polluted" river. He had determined that he wouldnt follow the beaten path tread by his relatives and settle in this sleepy town. He had decided he would move to the WEST, strike riches and make a bright future. Before retiring every night, Hari would look at the post card of Manhattan that his uncle provided and dreamt of the land far far away.

But sheer determination and hard work reaped rewards, as Hari got a chance to study in a very prestigious school in Chicago. As Hari's relatives wept at his departure, Hari couln't resist his excitment at this opportunity. Although he experienced a culture shock when he landed in the West, he never felt nostalgic. It was a matter of time before Hari embraced the new place and new culture and started making the most of it. Inspite of a less than moderate stipend from his school, Hari could still afford luxuries which he had only dreamt of back in Vellore. His excellent grades landed him with a plump job in San Francisco as he started enjoying the ostentatious display of wealth that built the golden state of California.

Hari finally found the love of his life and tied the nuptial knot soon after, in a temple in Livermore, CA in a quaint little ceremony marked by absence of his parents and loved ones. With the luxury of a dual income household, Hari could afford a great house overlooking the bay, and also bought a luxury sports car. His kids grew up as American citizens playing baseball instead of cricket and munching Hershey's instead of cadburys. As he changed status from F1-H1-green card-US citizen his riches grew, his lifestyle improved, but somethings remained the same. For instance, Hari had a close knit relationship with a lot of Indians as well as Internationals, but at times of adversity he would always fall back at his Indian colleagues. He would always cherish and long for social gathering of his fellow nationals than any other company.

Once he was satiated by his drive for wealth and fame, Hari took time out to ponder over his looming future and his hectic past. Life had been one long sprint since he moved to his dream land. In his quest to the finish line, he had failed to stop and appreciate the moments of joy that passed him. During periods of deep introspection Hari would ask himself only one question, "Afterall, was it worth anything ?". In moments of solitute he would think of his relatives, the cricket, and the river. Through emails Hari would learn that most of his relatives still stayed in touch with each other and lived contented in absence of a materialistic pursuit. It seemed like life had finally slowed down for Hari, but the pace hurt him rather than healing him.

Finally, nostalgia got better of him, as he decided to return back to his hometown and settle for a laid back style of life. But to his dismay, things had changed more than what he had imagined. His 2 storied wooden house was replaced by a 25 storied skyscraper. The arid field, where he played cricket were turned into concrete jungle. Kids no longer played cricket in the open air, instead they played it on LAN. He could no longer swim in Vaigai as it had turned into a tourist hang out spot, and you had to book 3 months in advance to get a cottage by the lake.

After paying 300 Rs entrance fees, Hari sat next to the lake reading the mail from his son informing of his plans to marry an American, his wife's affair with their chineese neighbour and his daughters move to an independent house with her fiance. As tears streamed down his cheek, his memory jogged him to a time 38 yrs ago when his Uncle first told him about GAP, Nike and the blondes.

ps: A much better post on similar topic could be found here.