KICKING IT UP ABROAD - INSIGHT INDIA

A recent news report spotlighted the affluence of Indians in Santa Clara county, Silicon Valley. I remembered 1998. IT boom time! The Bay Area atmosphere bubbled like champagne. If you saw a group of excited Indians huddled over latte and muffins in a Starbucks they could be talking of a start-up. Or buy-out rumours. A 'bought-out' young man in his early thirties laughed and told me: 'Here, Indian millionaires are as common as dandruff!' This is great! I thought.

But soon I noticed that propensities hadn't changed. Like the craving to show-off among each other. An upwardly mobile Bay Indian had to buy a BMW. And then a mansion on an upscale hillside. And proclaim both acquisitions to friend and foe.

Another thing I noted was the tendency to gravitate into 'back home' affinity groups. An Andhra group. A Maharashtrian group. And so on.

But the next propensity was even more telling. At the Naz, a Hindi movie house, the last show crowd of Indians, Pakistanis etc. left the place a junkyard of paper glasses, wrappers and pop-corn bags. What was unfair was that the same people wouldn't leave a bit of litter at the 26-theatre Century 26 showing Western movies. Why not? Simply, because they would not be allowed to get away with it.

The news report mentions an Indian entrepreneur's comment that Indians flourish in the U.S. not just because of education, but because the diversity of India's people prepared them better for dealing with America's diversity. I wonder if that is blatant obfuscation or the man has forgotten home - the endless battles that go on over water, caste, religion, language and you-name-it. (For more INDIA REALITIES stories see www.myspace.com/india_realities)

THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS AND UNCARING - INSIGHT INDIA

Divali, the Festival of Lights, is India's most spectacular celebrations. Though it's not openly admitted, the day after it's over should be called the Festival of Divali Debris. That's when concerned citizens complain in Letters columns of newspapers about the failure of local authorities in clearing the fireworks litter spread in public places. This year a major news channel went one better. They reported directly from Delhi streets, showed us piles of Divali litter, and slammed the civic authorities.

Now note the difference. Last year on July 4th, America's Independence Day, I was in a town in the U.S. The dawn sky sparkled with the lights and color of fireworks. But there were no explosions of crackers. I went for a jog and saw a family preparing for fireworks on the road. They were placing orange traffic cones to mark an area (that would not obstruct traffic) near their side of the pavement. An hour later I returned. The cones were gone. No one was around. I looked around eagerly for the debris of fireworks. Strangely, I couldn't find the tiniest scrap. The family had cleaned up the road when they finished. Woo! Unbelievable!

Obviously, there is a world of difference between citizens who only complain and citizens who care. (For more INDIA REALITIES stories see www.myspace.com/india_realities)