Stories about living in America viewed from the backdrop of growing up in Kerala, India.
“But things didn’t go according to plan. The hoped for health and financial gains never materialized. And therein lies a tale of mismatched talent and bad marketing.”
“Decked out in their best and on the way to the temple, they couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get a dig in early. I don’t blame them entirely: to combat the morning smog precipitated by the previous evening’s rampant trash burning, I was wearing a surgical mask.”
“The powder room sink wasn’t draining properly. In a bid to repair it, I removed the stopper and poked the drain with a brush to remove the accumulated detritus. The bottom of the drain pipe gave away at the j-bend, putting the sink out of commission.”
“Food used to be scarce. Now it is increasingly plentiful. Just when you could have all the healthy food you want though, along came junk food. In a similar vein, leisure was once reserved for the rich, or at least ways to enjoy it. Now, when it appears to be within the reach of many, it is slipping away. In the new world, every weakness is someone's niche to make money.”
“Life used to be simple with fewer choices. In college, a few shirts and a couple of pants. Wash, rinse, dry, wear, repeat. Suddenly the washer and dryer look like egregious excesses and the closet a colossal waste of space.”
“'Today is only Wednesday. It will be alright. And I am not driving to Orlando,' I said, masking a lack of conviction about my prognostication with an unreasoned resolve against driving.”
“To get the fire going isn't any easier either. The first attempts resulted in a whole lot of smoke, but no fire. The smoke billowed into the family room and spread into the kitchen and then upstairs like a purposeful apparition.”
“Devoid of cooking skills, my diet initially consisted of sliced bread, jam, butter, apples, whole milk, Swiss Miss, coke, and Mars bars. A few month into this diet though, I rapidly grew in girth and in short order was forced to shop for bigger-sized clothes.”
“I tried many tricks to tame this menace—from brandishing a can of Mace to whipping out a folding knife. What worked best was waving a simple stick picked up from the wayside. Suddenly the leader retreats, others look as if, 'Hey, we were just kidding around,' and all is quiet.”
“While the summer looks welcoming of the mundu wearer, things can get dicey and downright dangerous if you have to mow the lawn or trim the hedges. Worse, being spotted outside in a mundu can attract stares from your neighbors, leading to the inevitable 'Is that a skirt?' question.”
“The boatman’s life was simple: he would show up before dawn, bathe in the river and get down to business of plying the boat to and fro with occasional breaks for snacks and meals. He shut down the ferry after sunset and headed with the day’s proceeds to the toddy shop.”
*Malayalam word meaning self-inflicted trouble
“It worked well in dry weather. Come a hint of rain though, it acted like a sulking lover. Highway or driveway, it would sputter, shake, and crawl to a dead stop. Further attempts at reviving the kinetic relationship met with rejection until the humidity markedly improved.”
“Traveling too often in crowded KSRTC buses had rendered me insensitive to punctuality and immune to malodorous perspiration. I wanted to give my brother a head start.”
“Things came to a head for Bhaskaran from our junior batch. Three years of life in the college and hostel had done little to erase the village imprint on his attire, attitude, and articulation. Yet, the poor fellow threw caution to wind and went after one of city girls.”
“But American food, that was another matter. Remember, this was in the South, in an era when announcing you are a vegetarian got you directions to the veterinary college.”
“What is Patton?” she asked.
“Patton was a World War II American military general. There was an attack tank named after him. We used to hear about it during the Indo-Pak war,” I replied.
“Very clever. Shows how old you are. What’s your point?”
“Patton was a World War II American military general. There was an attack tank named after him. We used to hear about it during the Indo-Pak war,” I replied.
“Very clever. Shows how old you are. What’s your point?”
