The cool breeze blew into my face as we drove and I had a mixture of feelings going on in my mind. I was flying to the US, the dreamland of many a one in India, especially of the South Indians. My mother was sitting next to me and I could visibly see that she was very happy. I thought she would feel sentimental just like when I leaving for my hostel 5 years back…then I was still going to stay in India but she nearly cried when I left home. Now I was flying to US and she was happy. I thought, ‘OK- at the airport’.(But it never happened. Actually I was late to the airport as usual and there was no time for all that…it was just a simple ‘bye’ and ‘take care son’ and it was over)

Now I am in US. The heated apartment, the clean roads, dust free air and what not. We have plenty of Indian food that we cook at home so looks like I don’t miss my Indian life!
But NO...I do miss my Indian life. US might be a very comfortable and agreeable place to be, but what the hell! I got used to the Indian way of life. I miss the busy streets, the noise, and the cars honking away at every possibility. A day at home (which refers to India any day) would be a battle to dodge through traffic where the other vehicles are just not looking our way, trying to catch up with the latest movie, finish the assignments, and just not give up, just not catch any disease from the dusty air, just get through the day unscathed!

Life in US seems more complicated! My days become a war against monotony, not take the same route to college, not come back to the same apartment, not see the same faces, not study the same books. My struggle is for a sense of fulfillment that just doesn’t seem to exist! After all, I am in a dreamland where everything should be perfect.
Back in India I may not have a heated apartment in the cold weather or clean and smooth roads. It might be backward (probably I should not use this for India but lets exaggerate and say it is backward) but things are simple there. They are practical. They are straight forward. I wake up. I eat. I study. I sleep. When I am happy I laugh with friends and when I am sad I still have them! There is not much room for anything else.

Initially when I came to US, I was fascinated by the excellent roads, the cars whizzing by and I was amazed everyone follows every rule. Now when I go out (which is getting rarer by the day) cars just whiz by and I couldn’t care for less. All we need in US is money to buy a car, money to get a girlfriend, money to host parties. (I won’t digress and get into doing research, which would take up another entire blog I guess!). Is money the key to happiness? Is it the central heating and a drive in a car on smooth roads that is a definition of a good and happy lifestyle? I hope not!!