‘Uncle Sam has no doubt got me but the old dharti mata isn’t letting go off me’ thought Rao. He missed his late wife and had come to stay with his son and grandchildren. But then, the ghost haunted even his son, who was now a citizen of the United States. Especially now that his children were in their teens, he was constantly asking himself whether he should send his kids to India??

“I sometimes wonder whether I made the right choice of staying back here. There are some days when I want to sell everything and just go off to India but I am not sure the kids will like it”, Kumar was telling his colleague. Rao smiled and wondered why he didn’t listen to him in the first place? Then he saw his daughter-in-law and immediately he knew why. She was the epitome of the hospitable Indian hostess. She was insisting the newcomers to taste her authentic Indian cooking, “whenever you feel homesick, just drop in here, you will forget you are in the USA” she was saying.

That was it. America somehow appealed to the women folk because they could recreate India all around hemselves, with their saris, bindis and bangles, their dhoklas, dosas and curries they had found the kind of independence they wouldn’t in their hometown. They were proud of their children’s cute American accent, thanks to their studying in private schools and their network of friends across the country. For them, there was no looking back, “arreh why should we go back after all the struggle of making it here? Why should we go back to the dust and pollution!!! The hostess was saying.

“And don’t forget the taxes we pay to Uncle Sam each year” someone in the party added. “ There’s a price we have to pay for everything in this world, you don’t get nothing for nothing” another soul added.

“Its all a matter of time. The longer you stay here to save money for the 60*40 site or that posh apartment in India, the slimmer your chances of going back. You might as well buy a house here, gosh what are the credit cards for? hahaaaa” chuckled a veteran.

The party was in full swing when Rao heard his grand daughter call him to watch the Regis show of who wants to be a millionaire.

“Grandpa, come on now, I told my friends that you could answer all the questions. Let’s see if you can win the million dollar this time!” Rao smiled and joined his grand daughter to watch the show. Thanks to the million-dollar show, Hamlet’s ghost was put to sleep at least for the time being.

Hang on dharti mata, the dollar dude’s talking to the ole man.

More articles by Joy Mantra

1. Naming your Baby
2. Life of a dependent visa holder
3. Romancing the table
4. To be or not to be
5. Desi Devi's Quest for Romance
6. Balaji takes control of Rani’s fate through email
7. Desi Devi's Quest for Romance
8. Returning Home to India?