Ma, just knows all. She knows I am not seeing the world when I am not observing common life pass by the window. She knows then that somewhere I am not enjoying life. She knows that I am struggling to not create that knot. She says, stop thinking over it else you will land up tightening the knot's grip. Stop thinking and let it loose, it will untangle by itself. I call myself an observer but cant compare myself to her observance.

Country Cousins

Yea observed this extreme kinship between the two countries that I can’t stop addressing them as cousins (not its people), kinship of developing countries or rather emerging countries. For the first time I realized what a developing country is. Having lived throughout my life in India (the place which for me will always remain the best) and having visited only developed countries, until this week, I didn’t really know or ignored what a developing nation is. India after all is home and it is a developing nation I never really felt that in reality, was aware of it only in theory. And now after being here and seeing the striking similarity between here and India I realize that the similarity majorly comes from the fact that even this country is a developing country. Well we will always find a bit of home any where we go but out here you can easily mistaken yourself to be walking down some coastal town of India. The streets, the town organization, the traffic, the restaurants, the corner pan shop, the beach culture (not the tanning scene of course), the sign boards, the pamphlets sticking around, the warmth of the country, the neighbors chatting on a lazy afternoon across their doors, the town square (chawk) culture, people waiting at the bus stop, the dust….every thing amazingly the same. And suddenly I realize places across the world aren’t all that different. I guess given similar circumstances, in this case both on their way to being developed the outcome has to be similar. And somewhere all this is reflected in the culture too. You might be thinking why I am posting this….truely, I am just amazed at the similarity and feeling so nice about it. As difference was expected and there surely will be lot of it but such affinity was never even thought about.

P.S. Btw the place and country in talk is Recife, Brazil.

Good Omen.

I am writing after long time…wanted to write since long…but either was lazy when had a nice thought or was with no good thought when in mood to write. Today am in mood but no topic as such…lets see what crap I write.
This Friday I shifted to a new apartment all to myself…something that I always wanted to do …and something that would support my real reason of coming down to US, staying alone…new life...new friends…lets see how things go.
Anyways, so on Friday evening had been to Wal-Mart to buy some basic stuff for the apartment…after picking up all that I needed was waiting outside with the trolley, for the cab to arrive. Had bought a full length mirror and had kept the mirror over the trolley in such a way that all the other stuff had been covered by it and the mirror too was backside up so people generally won’t make out that it’s a mirror. While I was waiting an old man who was smoking beside me suddenly started chatting to me. At first look he seemed to be the street side ignored person whom you would tend to avoid in this country. Because they don’t look all that safe to be around and you never know how they will react suddenly. Initially when he started talking I couldn’t figure out a word…he was old so his words weren’t clear. On hearing closely I realized he is asking me, if I am shifting to a new apartment…and that’s where he caught my attention. As said above hardly anything could be figured out from my trolley…but still that man had such good observation that in hardly a minute he realized that here is a girl who is all alone, new to this country and shifting to a new apartment. He then confirmed that I am an Indian…ok I know that’s easy to guess from the looks but he said that so confidently right at the first shot. He started wishing me all the best for my stay out here and in the new apartment. If that cab hadn’t arrived by then he would have continued the conversation further. Even the cab driver knew him and some passer bys too…they exchanged regards and I left with his good wishes.
That old man somehow left a mark in my mind…a person who might have had such interesting experiences in his life that a glance is enough for him to know what’s going on…an observer…highly knowledgeable…people knowing him for his knowledge…looks ignored but in reality isn’t at all...rather a street smart person. I wished our conversation would have continued a bit more...if my friends would have seen me talking to that man they would definitely say that it isn’t safe talking to such people in this country…but they know I wouldn’t care…at the end I felt it was a good omen that I got his wishes when I am about to start something new ….I can be superstitious at times :-).