Living Away, Makes all things Indian more Enticing

March 11, 2017

The news out of the United States has been horrific ever since Potus45 took office.

Having left before inauguration, I have felt isolated from the shenanigans. But news media does not know physical boundaries and my isolation is possible only if I cut out all forms of news in my life. I tried that for a while and refused to read anything or listen to any news with the word Trump in it.

But I knew my self-imposed exile would not last for long. With the attacks on Indian Americans, I am just as vulnerable and can no longer hide behind an elusive façade. His long silence post the Kansas attack of Srinivas Kuchibhotla was disturbing. His address to Congress may have won him many accolades but I can trust nothing about this President.

He is inconsistent and a complete maverick.

After Kansas, the attacks on Harnish Patel in South Carolina immediately followed by Deep Rai in Seattle, have unnerved the 3 million strong Indian American community. A recent television documentary by Reza Aslan has compounded the feeling of uncertainty among South Asians. His series, ‘Believer,’ focusing on the Aghori community in India has incensed a fragile community. At a time when the community needs support, such documentaries serve to perpetuate stigmas and does nothing to stem anxiety and bigotry.

In fact, a column in LA Times shows Aslan’s documentary did not even go down well with non-Indians. Media needs to show some sense of responsibility and this coming from CNN is shocking. I also wonder why news media does not boycott Kellyanne Conway. It is Women’s day on March 8th and while women and their achievements are being celebrated the world over, this is one woman who I do not endorse or support.

As a woman, I am appalled at what she represents. She does nothing but distract, stall and redirect any issue on which she is questioned.

She is the ultimate mistress of obfuscation!

A big reason for HIllary’s loss is the amount of free publicity news media gave Trump. If they had boycotted him at the time, the US and the world at large may not have seen this man making a global mockery of our country and himself. The latest in this vein is the accusation levelled by him against the Obama administration regarding the bugging of telephones. Trump’s constant criticisms and the need felt by Obama loyalists to defend has created tremendous friction and is further fracturing the image of the US President globally.

Trump may be reviled as a global menace and this is largely thanks to shrinking communication barriers and exaggerated social media use. Instant communication is now a no-brainer. In fact, if anyone tries to say they could not get in touch, I disregard it as a lame excuse. Today there are multiple platforms to connect with people.

A couple of months ago, I was trying to set up a meeting with a friend and messaged him on Facebook, WhatsApp, text message and Instagram, just to make sure he got the message!!! Yes, it can be abused too. And then there were the old days. I remember studying at University in the US and setting up times with my parents to call me, eagerly sitting by the phone half an hour early so I do not miss the call. Those were the days when STD calls had just begun. Before that, we spoke with family members living abroad by booking trunk calls and having the operator butting in intermittently, reminding us how many minutes had elapsed.

When my children left to study abroad, they had their own cellphones and we could communicate as frequently as needed. True, it was more my need but I could not be more grateful for Viber, Skype, BBM messenger, WhatsApp, Facetime and now Facebook and WhatsApp video calls. If I cannot get the children on one medium, I try another. Unfortunately, despite multiple platforms of communication, the phone needs to be answered. My children believe in the silent treatment. They keep phones and chat groups on silent, minimizing my ability to speak with them. In my opinion, millennial kids the world over do not feel the need to stay in constant touch.

Luckily for me, my frequent trips to Pune helps me stay in constant touch with the life and people I left behind. After many years, I attended the Shaniwar Wada dance festival. I could not have felt more proud of this city, our heritage and Indian culture, as I sat and basked in the grace, elegance, fluidity, innovation and rhythm of Kathak. The majestic fort is the perfect backdrop for this festival. The festival has been on for the last sixteen years and is an intrinsic part of Pune’s cultural calendar. It is unfortunate the space was not filled to capacity. There were hardly any young folks at the venue. Times they are a changing. The NH 7 and Sunburn festivals probably get way more footfalls.

Pune has a vibrant art scene and I always enjoy attending various art exhibitions. On women’s day, Monalisa Kalagram inaugurated an exhibition of eighteen of Pune’s women artists. I have my reservations about the need for a special day and get irritated when people, especially men, try and prove they are egalitarian. Why is there a need to prove anything? Coming back to the exhibition though, it is a showcase of some highly talented artists. The topics, textures, colors, treatment are a visual delight. The show is on till the eighteenth and I hope more Punekars head to Koregaon Park to catch the show.

I guess living away from India, makes all things Indian more enticing. I hanker for classical Indian concerts, dance performances, art shows and also listen to gaana.com all the time. I do have the best of both worlds because I come often enough to Pune to indulge the inner Indian in me.  Considering the social climate in the US right now, I wonder about reassuring the inner American in me.

For now, I need to check my social media feed to read about further mayhem being caused by America’s most disruptive President.